Shadows of the Heart
by the-tanned-bella
Summary: After beginning to attend her first semester at the University of Seattle, Bella quickly finds new friends, as well as new love, much to her astonishment. But little does she know of the hidden dangers lurking behind the façade. All human, BxE, EmxR, AxJ.
1. Clumsy

**A/N: Bonjour! This is my first attempt at a fanfiction by myself, so I'm hoping it's not too terrible. I'm not exactly sure where I'll be going with it, but I'm going to try my best to make it good! I hope you like it, and please review, review, review! **

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these lovely characters. The ever wonderful Stephenie Meyer owns the rights to all of them and most likely their souls. **_

Preface

I closed my eyes tightly, hoping that I could simply will it all away. I didn't want to open them again, because if I did, I would see the startling face of my captor. The one who I thought I could trust.

Slowly, they reached towards my neck holding a thick rope against it with their clammy, sweaty hands. "You ruined my life, bitch. Now I end yours." I heard, being hissed into my ear. This couldn't be happening.

Oh, but it was. Slowly, I was dying. I could feel all the air leaving my lungs. Then, everything went black.

Chapter One

"Bella! You're order's up!" called the cook from the back.

"Coming, coming!" I called, narrowly avoiding tripping over some small child's foot. He was laughing, a sure sign he had done it on purpose. I stuck my tongue out at the beast, and continued on my way to the back.

Another day on the job. I didn't really like working at the restaurant, but a job is a job. I'd be starting university soon, and Lord knows I need the money.

As of next week, I'd be beginning my education at the University of Seattle. I really hoped that becoming an English teacher would be a worthy career field. I love books, and I love kids…except when they attempt to trip me.

I looked over my shoulder to glare at the little monster. Of course, this meant my eyes weren't in front of me, so when I felt my feet give way, I shouldn't have been so surprised.

I tripped, over my own feet nonetheless, and went flying forward. With just my luck, the tray of food went everywhere. Including on a customer's shoes. _Expensive_ shoes.

I lay on the floor for a moment, prolonging the inevitable. I had to ensure I was prepared to apologize my head off and get completely screamed at by the customer. Unfortunately, I was rather well practised with events such as these. It would have been a wonder that I hadn't been fired yet if it weren't for the fact that the restaurant was owned by my dad's old friend, Billy Black.

Jacob, his son, peaked his head out from the cooking area. Once he realized it was me who had caused such a noise, he simply shook his head, and got back to his cooking, silently shaking with laughter.

I narrowed my eyes at the wall he had just hid behind. Him and I would have to have a talk afterwards. I sighed, realizing that everyone was staring at me, and I probably just spent the past minute and a half lying on the floor and glaring. At least the carpet was nice.

I got up slowly, and looked into the face of the customer, waiting for the sea of rage to attack. Instead, I found two large and rather inquisitive eyes looking up at me with nothing but concern. "Are you alright?" she piped, in a chipper little voice.

"Oh…uh…yeah. I'm fine." I said, blinking twice. Maybe she didn't notice about her shoes. Generally, the concern vanishes once they realize their four hundred dollar Jimmy Choos are quite possibly are destroyed. "I'm so, so sorry about your shoes."

"What?" she asked, looking down at her feet. "Oh, that. It's fine. I have another pair just like it at home anyways." I felt my mouth pop open slightly.

"Um…are you sure it's alright? I mean, you can yell at me if you'd like to." I asked, completely confused by this bizarre little thing.

She laughed a delicate, tinkling laugh. "Of course not silly!" All the remaining people who had been staring now turned back around in their seats. If there would be no yelling involved, then we were no interest to them.

"Oh…okay." I looked down at the table, and saw a piece of paper similar to the one I received about a week ago. "Hey! Are you going to University of Seattle too?" I quickly realized how stupid that sounded, and felt the blush creeping onto my cheeks.

Oddly enough, she didn't tell me to get lost. Instead, she smiled and said "Yes. Will you be attending in September as well?"

"Oh. Yeah." Oh gosh, my first encounter will a fellow U of S student, and I act like a total dork.

"Want to go to lunch tomorrow?" she asked, the smile never wavering.

"What? Oh, yeah! Of course!" I just mentally smacked myself in the head in case you were wondering.

"Okay! Great! My name's Alice Brandon, by the way." she extended a small hand in my direction.

"Bella Swan." I replied, smiling and shaking her hand. Maybe things would turn out better than I thought they would after all.

**Well, what do you think? The chapter itself is a little boring I suppose, but you know how these things go. Introductions must be made and such. I know it's a bit short, but I hope it's alright. Chapter title is Clumsy by Our Lady of Peace.**


	2. That's What Girls Do

**A/N: Well, this chapter was rather hard to write. It took me three separate sittings, all months apart. So, I apologize if this is choppy or just plain boring. I tried. Review pretty please? Also, Ali – Restruant name was picked just for you! ;-) **

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the ever lovely characters of Twilight. They belong to Stephenie Meyer, unfortunately.**_

Chapter Two

"So Bella, tell me about yourself." Alice said, while sipping her drink. We were seated outside on the patio area of Jackson's, a little restaurant in Seattle that I had never noticed before. Alice had picked it, and had given me instructions on how to get here, so now here we were, having lunch together.

"There's not much to tell." I said, taking a bite of my burger. Alice gave me a look that said it had to be better than that, so I fished for something else to say. For someone so small, she really could be pushy. "Well, I um…live with my dad, Charlie, in a microscopic town by the name of Forks. My mom lives in Florida, and I have no siblings. Um…I like to read, and I like the colour purple.'' Hopefully that was good enough.

I looked up at Alice. She looked satisfied enough by my answer. ``Well, for me, I live with both my parents, and my adopted brother, Emmett McCarty. You'll love him, he's going to U of S too. I used to live in New York up until about a year ago when we moved to Seattle. I love shopping- you and I have to go sometime! And, I like yellow!`` She seemed to say this all in one breath.

I laughed a little. It was very difficult not to like Alice. "Shopping would be fun!"

For a second, I could have sworn I saw an evil glint in her eyes, but it went away so quickly that I must have imagined it. "Goody!" she squealed, clapping her hands together. "I just _knew_ I'd make a friend yesterday!"

"Really? How'd you know?" I was shocked, although to be honest, it was more of the fact that she had called me her friend. All throughout high school I was pretty much a loner, my only friend being Jake. Usually, it didn't bother me too much, although it got pretty lonely sometimes.

She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I just know these things." She smiled. "Well Bella, it's been lovely, but I must be off. I'll see you soon! Oh, and I'll call you about shopping!" she said with a slight smirk.

"Bye!" I called. She got up, and was off in a flash of cheeriness and flowery scent.

Alice had said that she was my friend and that she would see me soon, but would she really? Who knows how big campus would be. In fact, I had the sinking feeling that I may never see her again. "Oh well." I sighed, getting out of my seat. I've lasted this long without friends. Who says I can't last a few more years?

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. Eight am. Too early. I rolled back over, hoping the noise would stop. It did eventually, and I sighed a breath of relief. It was short lived, however, when the phone started up again. _Ring, ring, ring. _"Oh for crying out loud!"

I rolled over and snatched the phone off my dresser. "Hello?" I snapped. Generally, I tried to be patient, but being woken up after taking the late shift at work last night didn't exactly make me a cheerful ray of sunshine.

"Hi Bella!!" said a cheerful voice which I couldn't quite place. My face had been buried into my pillow so I made a noise that sounded slightly like "Mmmfupoh?"

The voice paused for a moment. "Pardon?"

I slowly detached my face from my pillow. "May I ask who's speaking?" I said, able to sound much more polite now that I was slightly awake.

The voice giggled. "It's Alice, silly! Alice Brandon?"

"OH!" I said, finally fully awake due to my state of shock. "Oh, hi Alice, sorry!"

She giggled again. "That's alright. I was just wondering if you would be interested in shopping today?"

I looked at the clock. Well, the hell with it, it's not like I'd be getting much more sleep today now that I was up. "Sure Alice, sounds like fun."

I could hear something that sounded like clapping coming from the other end of the line. "Good! Okay Bella! I'll come pick you up in an hour! Bye bye!"

I gently put the phone on the cradle. One hour. Ugh, I had better get moving then.

An hour later on the dot, Alice pulled up in a bright yellow Saturn Sky. "Wow, nice car." I said as I stepped out to greet her.

"Well, it's no Porsche, but…" she said, grinning as she hopped out. "Mind if I take a peek at your closet before we head out?" It was quite an odd request, but I figured it wouldn't hurt. Besides, I could show her around the house a bit. It's a shame Charlie wasn't home for this. When I told him I had made a new friend, he had all but frothed at the mouth.

Eventually we worked our way up, until we finally made it to my tiny, messy room. It was a bit of a disaster because most of my stuff was in boxes, preparing for the move into the university.

I opened my closet, and Alice gasped. "What?! What is it?" I was worried she had seen a spider or something.

"Please, please, _please_ tell me that the rest of your clothes are in those boxes?" she groaned.

"Uhh…no, I thought I'd wait since I kinda need my clothes. Why?"

She had begun frantically shaking her head and muttering to herself. "See, I knew I should see what I'm dealing with before we left." She suddenly turned to me. "Bella, why on earth do you have so little?"

I gazed at my closet. I had never really thought of it as small. "Um…I dunno. I guess 'cause that's all I needed?"

She had begun shaking her head again. "Bella, Bella, Bella. You _always_ need more clothes. Time is of the essence! We must depart!" She had raised one fist super-hero style, while grabbing mine with her other. For someone so small, she could really pull _hard._

**What did everyone think? Heehee, I had to google something suitable for Alice's car, but I found something that I thought was in her taste, minus all the Porsche price. Hopefully I'll be much better with my updating now that I actually have time! Chapter title is That's What Girls Do by No Secrets. **


	3. The Fear

**A****/N: Sigh, yes, I'm sorry. Another chapter that is sort of introduction-y. I'm hoping the next chapter will be much more…interesting. This one was easier to write than the last, although I'm still having a slight difficulty. ****Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy it, and also, I just have to say a big thank you to anyone who takes their time to read my story. Please review!**

_**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns anything and everything related to Twilight, sadly, I do not.**_

Chapter Three

Well, this was it. Moving day had come upon us.

I scowled at the last two remaining boxes of clothes left on my floor. When Alice and I had gone shopping, I had left my bags with her while I went to use the washroom. When I had returned, they all felt mysteriously heavier. I had thought nothing of it until I came home and realized there were clothes I hadn't even _seen_ before in there. I had asked Alice about it, but she simply gave me a doe-eyed look and said "I have no idea what you're talking about Bella." LIES!

Continuing to glare at the treacherous boxes, I slowly heaved them up, beginning to make my way down the stairs.

"Whoa Bella! Hold your horses there!" Charlie said, nearly crashing into me on his way up the stairs. "Let me take that for you."

"It's just clothes dad." I grumbled, still slightly frustrated at the boxes' contents.

"Even still." he said, swiftly snatching them away from me.

I sighed, and made my way out to my ancient truck. It was quite literally filled to the brim with all my stuff. "You sure you can handle all this Bells?" he asked, looking concerned. "You know, I have the cruiser…I could take some of this load off for you."

I sighed again. "No dad, I'll be okay." I was quite positive my truck could make the trip on it's own. Besides, I knew my dad, and he was simply trying to come and check out the campus to make sure there were no hooligans running about the place. Charlie is _such_ a cop.

After an awkward hug and some quick goodbyes, I was in my truck, driving off. _Bye Forks, see you later I guess._

One extremely long, and cramped drive later, I pulled into the university parking lot. Now came the tricky part of figuring out how to move all this stuff to where I needed to be. Actually, I didn't even know where I was supposed to be.

The whole area was in slight chaos, with crying students and parents, kids trying to move furniture and boxes, and over-all, an air of confusion. After I brief scan, I noticed a semi-official looking man with a clipboard, so I figured that was my best bet.

"Hello sir," I started.

"Name?" he asked. In other circumstances, it would have seemed rude, but this man had not said it unkindly.

"Bella Swan." I replied, feeling a lot less confident than I sounded. Perhaps something went wrong, and my application was denied at the last second after reviewing some other people. Or maybe Charlie forgot to send off the check, and I actually didn't have a dorm room at all.

"Isabella Swan? Building four, room two oh one. It's on the second floor dear."

I quickly thanked him and made my way back to my truck. What to grab first? I suppose I should actually _find_ my room before I go hauling stuff around campus, so I snatched up my duffle bag only, and started walking in the direction I thought the fourth building might be.

_Building one, building two, building three…_I gulped. Building four.

Obviously this was one of the older buildings, but somehow that made it all the more beautiful. There was ivy growing up one side, and it had a slight crumbing look, but all the more, it gave it a homey feel.

_Well, here goes nothing, _I thought, and slowly made my way up the steps.

After moving quickly through the building, I found it. 201. I paused in front of the doorway; no, _my_ doorway. This was going to be my residence for quite some time, so I might as well get used to it.

I reached for the knob and stopped. I had been so focused on getting here, that I hadn't even had time to worry about what might be inside. What if my roommate was awful? What if they were a slob? A partier? I sighed. One way to find out I guess. I yanked open the knob, and heard a scream.

"BELLA!!!!!" and then something, or I suppose _someone_, flew into my arms.

I looked down, slightly confused. "Alice? What are you doing here?"

"I'm your roommate silly!" she said with a big grin, finally letting me go.

"_You're_ my roommate?!"

Her grin faltered. "Oh, yeah. Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay Alice!! I just can't believe the odds!!" I said, surprised she would even think otherwise.

"Well…" she said, her grin returning and taking on a slightly mischievous look. "Sometimes you have to play with the odds a bit." When I gave her a questioning look, her grin got wider. "I kind of convinced them to tweak the dorm list a little. Originally, you were in building two with some Lauren girl as your roommate."

I looked out the window at building two. Definitely the ugliest building. I turned back towards her with a huge grin on my face. "Thanks Alice!"

**Heehee, oh Alice. Originally I was thinking of making Angela Bella's roommate, but I thought Alice would be more fun, and a lot easier. I apologize that it's all been Bella and Alice interaction, but it sets things up nicely for what is to come (Muhahahaha). Chapter title is The Fear by Lily Allen. Really awesome song, and if you haven't heard it you should go check it out!!**


	4. Boys Boys Boys

**A/N: Yes that's right it's time for…(drum roll please) the men to appear! Enjoy. :-)**

_**Disclaimer: No, obviously I do not own Twilight. **_

Chapter 4

I put my duffle bag down gently and took in the room. It was quite nice actually, not too cramped and painted in soft, neutral colours which I suppose were to help us find our inner peace…or something.

I looked around, realizing it was already full of stuff. "Alice, how on earth did you get all your stuff up here so fast!?"

"Alice! This had better be the last box! I swear! Why you had to pack _so much, _I just don't know." said a loud voice entering the doorway. He put the box down and looked up, blinking slowly. "Oh hey, I'm Emmett."

Alice giggled a bit before saying "Bella, this is my brother Emmett. Emmett, this is my friend and roommate Bella Swan. And yes," she replied. "That is the last box, you big baby."

"Alice," he said making a puppy face which looked hilarious in comparison to how massive and tough he appeared. "I'm wounded. How could you say such a thing?" They both erupted into giggles, and I couldn't help but join them.

"It's nice to meet you Bella." he said, shaking my hand once we finally gained control over ourselves.

"You too." I replied smiling. Emmett was like Alice, impossible to not like. "Well," I said, finally getting down to business. "I guess I should go get my stuff."

Emmett let out a dramatic sigh. "Where's your keys?"

"Oh no, no!" I replied. "I'll be okay. I can do it myself."

He gave me a look that said he obviously thought otherwise, while Alice piped up, "You should just let him do it Bella. He won't stop until you let him bring in every last bit of your stuff."

"She's right you know." he said, still giving me _that look_ while leaving his hand outstretched.

"Oh fine!" I said, giving up and handing over the keys. "It's the rust bucket pickup filled with stuff!" I called to his retreating figure.

"Bella, I hope you don't mind, but I invited Emmett and his roommate over tonight. I'm thinking we should have a bit of a celebration." she said while starting to move one of her many boxes.

"Oh, yeah. Sure." I said. "Sounds good."

Alice sighed dramatically, sweeping herself down on one of the boxes. "Oh Bella," her voice said dreamily. "I saw the most _beautiful_ blonde boy today in the front lobby." She looked at me then. "He had shortish longish hair, and the _prettiest _face."

"Oh, well, maybe with any luck he'll be in one of your classes." I replied.

"Don't you worry," she said, dropping a wink. "Him and I? We're going to be together." We erupted into giggles once more, until we heard a knock at our opened door.

We both turned, and in the doorway was the most stunning blonde woman. "Hey, I'm Rosalie. I'm just across the hall."

"Oooh, hello!" said Alice, jumping up at once and rushing to the door. "I'm Alice!"

I laughed a little at her enthusiasm, and also walked over. "Hi Rosalie, I'm Bella."

"Nice to meet you both." she said giving us a warm smile. "Just wanted to introduce myself." She turned to walk away.

"Oh hey, Rosalie, wait!" Alice's voice stopped her. "We're having a 'yay-we're-finally-in-university' get-together tonight, and you're welcome to come."

"Oh sure, sounds good! Mind if I bring my brother though? He's a bit of a loner, and I'm supposed to," she rolled her eyes. "socialize him."

Alice giggled again. "Of course! The more the merrier!"

"Alright, see you tonig-"

"BEEP, BEEP! Large boxes and a very large man coming through!" called a voice from behind a wall of about four boxes…of my stuff. We all scattered at once to make room.

"Emmett! How on earth did you manage to grab so many?!" I asked, shocked.

He put my boxes down and started straightening up. "I've just got mad skil- Oh hey." he said, his voice suddenly suave. "I'm Emmett." Yup, he had noticed Rosalie.

"Rosalie. Rosalie Hale." she responded. "Well, anyways, I was just going, so see you around." She gave a quick wave and turned back towards her own room.

Emmett just stood there staring at where she had been moments before. "Rosalie. That's a pretty name." he mumbled to himself.

"She's coming tonight!" Alice piped up from where she was across the room.

"Cool!" he said, sounding a lot more excited than I'm sure he meant to. He began walking back to my truck to get the rest of my stuff, merrily whistling to himself.

Four hours later, our room was beginning to look like something mildly habitable. Our boxes were almost completely emptied into our personal spaces, and Alice had feng shui-ed the place (although I had my suspicions that it was more about style than finding a peaceful atmosphere) to her liking.

Finally finished, I plopped down onto the couch, absolutely exhausted. Suddenly Alice walked over and began tuting at me. "Really Bella, you don't plan on wearing that, do you?"

"For what exactly?" I asked, giving her a quick look-over. Stylish as always, of course.

"The party!" she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I looked down at myself. I was wearing sweats and my favourite ratty old t-shirt. "Isn't it just Emmett and his friend coming over?"

"And Rosalie and her brother." she said matter-of-factly. "Please Bella? Please, get changed…for me?"

I threw up my hands in frustration. "Oh fine! I don't get what the big deal is…" I muttered to myself as I walked to where my stuff was.

Finally, I settled on jeans and a t-shirt that didn't have any holes. I also brushed out my hair a bit since it had been in a heavily tangled ponytail moments before. If Alice didn't like it, she would just have to deal.

I came out of my room and gave a sarcastic little spin. "Good enough for you?" I asked. She gave a little nod, giving me her stamp of approval, before I went back to the couch.

There was a knock at the door and Alice went to answer it. "Hey, hey! It's your favourite brother!" said a grinning Emmett. "I brought chips!"

"Where is he?!" Alice asked a bit sharply.

"Oh, he said something about a song?"

"Tell him to stop tinkering with his keyboard and _get his butt over here!_" Alice cried, giving Emmett a push which obviously did nothing at all to move him.

"Whoa, okay. Chill. I'll get him." Emmett said, walking towards the way he came from. "Be right back."

As soon as he left, there came a "Hi Alice!" from across the hall.

"Hi." she repeated, sounding totally dazed, as well as seeming frozen in shock.

"What is it?" I whispered.

She shook her head and sat down next to me. "_Beautiful blonde boy_." she muttered in my ear.

"This is my brother Jasper." Rosalie said, entering the room with him following nervously behind her. "She's Bella, and that's Alice." she said, pointing at each of us.

"Hey." he said quietly, giving a quick nod. He glanced at Alice before sitting down on the armchair across from the couch we were on, and gave her a timid smile, which she returned just as shyly. _Wow,_ I thought. _I never thought I'd see the day with a shy Alice. _

Rosalie sat down easily, much more confident and graceful than her brother. "So, where's Emmett?" she asked.

Alice had finally unfrozen, but I noticed she kept glancing at Jasper every few minutes. Not that he wasn't doing the same. I smirked.

"Oh, he just went to get his roommate. They should be here any minute." she replied.

"Okay." said Rosalie, looking content.

"Okay Alice! I've got the hermit!" called a voice from the doorway. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"I'm not a hermit." another voice replied calmly.

Finally Emmett made it to the doorway. "Hey Alice, Bella, _Rose, _ andddd, new guy."

"Jasper." Jasper answered, laughing a little.

"Hey Jasper." Emmett said, before plopping down on the couch next to Rosalie. Definitely getting squished. I laughed and got up to make more room, before I realized Emmett's friend was still at the door.

I looked up at him, and froze.

He gave me a slow, beautiful smile. "Hi, I'm Edward Cullen."

**Woo-hoo! This is the longest chapter so far! Chapter title is Boys Boys Boys by Lady Gaga. Please review.**


	5. Between You And Me

**A/N: Hello everyone! This chapter took me all day to write, but I had so much fun writing it! Hope you like it! Please review!**

_**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all it's lovely characters, not me.**_

Chapter 5

"Oh, um, Bella…Swan. Bella Swan." I said looking down at my feet. I felt a blush coming on, and attempted to push it back down with my mind. No such luck.

I finally looked up at him again, probably looking like a huge-eyed tomato. He smiled, but it wasn't a mocking smile which I had encountered so many times before. It appeared to be sincere. "Pleasure to meet you Bella."

I finally realized that A) I was standing in the doorway with the most beautiful guy that I've ever seen, and B) Everyone was staring. I think Edward realized the same thing…well, not the A part, but you know…and so we both started moving towards the others.

Edward and I both hesitated when we reached the last remaining chair. "Oh, uh, you can have it." I muttered.

He looked concerned. "No, really. I insist. I don't mind the floor." he had already sat down.

"I don't mind it either."

He looked up at me from his spot on the floor. "Bella, it's okay. Take the seat."

I hesitated for a minute. "Well…if you're not gonna sit on the chair then neither will I." I plopped down next to him on the floor.

Edward looked shocked, while Alice simply shook her head. "That's our Bella." I shrugged. It was true. I'm a stubborn brute.

Brief introductions were made before we all fell momentarily silent. It was broken quickly however, by a _ba-da-beep!_ coming from Edward.

I watched as he reached into his jean pocket and fished out his phone. He flipped it open, and groaned. "Is it…?" asked Emmett leaning in towards Edward.

He nodded his head grimly before _ba-da-beep!_

"Is it who?" asked Rosalie, always straight to the point.

"Edward's ex lover." said Emmett matter-of-factly.

Edward groaned again. "She is _not_ my lover. We went on one date. _One._ And now, she won't leave me alone!" _Ba-da-beep!_

Emmett chuckled at his friend's misfortune. "What's she saying now?"

Edward held out the phone so we could all see. The first one said _"hi! 3"_, and

then _"i miss u!"_ as well as _"call meeee!"_.

"Well that's embarrassing." said Rosalie. We all laughed a little, while Edward stared glumly at his phone, as if he were just waiting for it to go off again. _Ba-da-beep!_

"Do you think she'll leave me alone if I answer?"

"No." everyone replied simultaneously. "Just shut it off." Alice added.

Edward looked like Christmas had come early. "I'd never thought of that before!" he said, while pressing the button to silence his phone, at least for a little while.

"Let's play truth or dare!" Alice said suddenly.

"Alright, I'm down with that." said Emmett, moving to the floor so that we could form a circle.

"Always up for a challenge." said Rosalie, glancing at Emmett.

Everyone turned to look at Jasper. "Oh…kay. I could try, I guess." he said, reluctantly sliding to the floor.

"I'll go first!" Alice said, clapping her hands together in excitement. "Jasper, truth, _or dare_." Her attempts to be dramatic were cut a bit short by her giggles, but the effect was still there.

"Truth." Jasper said instantly.

"Okkayyy," she said, drumming her fingers at the side of her face in thought. "I've got it! If you could visit one place in the world, where would it be."

"Egypt." Rosalie said, snorting a bit.

Emmett poked her in the ribs. "Let the boy answer his own question." he said.

She stopped laughing, and attempted to look serious. "Okay, tell us darling brother." she said, while batting her eyelashes at him.

Jasper smiled timidly. "Yeah, Rosalie's right. Egypt. I've wanted to go since eighth grade."

Rosalie smirked. "Told ya. You're turn Jazzy dear."

"Rosalie. Truth or dare." Jasper said.

"Pfft, dare." she responded, just as quickly as Jasper had choose truth.

"I dare you to…sing the happy song!" he said, looking triumphant.

"No!" she said, looking cold with fear. "I can't do that."

"Backing out of a dare, sis?" Jasper asked, still smirking.

"I hate you." she said, shooting him the death glare.

"What's the happy song?" asked Emmett, clearly curious.

"Oh, it's a song Rose here used to sing every dinner time." Jasper said still smiling. Clearly, he came out of his shell a bit while teasing his sister.

Everyone looked at her expectantly. "Oh, FINE!" she said. Looking anything but happy, she began. "Food, food, food. It makes me happy. Food, food, food. I like to eat food. Rosie is happy, when she eats food. Nom, nom, nom. Food, food, food." she finished with a big scowl on her face. Everyone burst into laughter and applause.

"That was beautiful Rose. Truly. I liked the part about the food." Emmett said grinning.

"Oh shut up." she said, smacking him in the arm. "Truth or dare." she added.

He thought for a moment, before shrugging. "Dare."

Rosalie grinned maliciously. "Go kiss Edward."

"AHHH! TRUTH, TRUTH, TRUTH!" Both Emmett and Edward began screaming, while jumping up and down in their seats.

"Okay, fine!" she flipped her hair a bit. "What do you look for in a woman?"

"Hmm…" he paused for a moment. "Well, I think that I'd want someone I can laugh with, you know? She should be pretty, but nice, and funny. Not afraid to sit out in the garage with me. Somebody who's not scared of adventure. Oh," he added, smirking. "And I think blondes are hot."

Rosalie looked satisfied with his answer, so he went on. "Eddie-Poosle, truth or dare?"

"Dare." he said calmly.

"Soulja Boy." Emmett said grinning.

"Pardon?" said Edward, although I noticed he had gotten slightly paler.

"You know exactly what I mean Eddie dear." Emmett replied.

Edward sighed. "If I must." Rosalie, Jasper and I shared confused glances while Alice attempted to stifle her laugher. Meanwhile, Edward got up and stood in the middle of the room. "But I need music." he added.

"No problemo, Eddie-o!" said Emmett, pulling out his iPod touch. He pressed a few buttons, and suddenly Crank That began to blare. "Go ahead then."

Edward sighed once more, and then suddenly he was doing the Soulja Boy dance. And he knew. All. Of. The. Steps. _Perfectly._

He finally finished and was giving a round of applause, although I couldn't help but laugh. Edward was the whitest of white boys, but he really could dance. "How'd you do that?" I asked him as he resumed his seat next to me.

He shrugged uncomfortably. "I was bored one day. YouTube. Anyways Bella, truth or dare?" _Oh crap, my turn._

I quickly went over the pros and cons of both options before responding "Truth."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he blurted out. The second he said it he looked nervous.

"That's a terrible question!" cried Emmett from across the room, attempting to look outraged, but laughing instead.

"Sorry. I, uh, didn't mean to ask that. It just sort of slipped out." he said, looking down at his hands. He mumbled something that sounded like "It was the first thing I thought of." but I wasn't sure.

"Nope. No boyfriend." I said, also looking down, but still managing to peak at him from the corner of my eye.

"Really?!" he said, his head shooting up, all traces of embarrassment gone.

"Yes." I said, laughing a little at his reaction.

"That's enough truth or dare." Alice said suddenly. "Let's watch a movie! Jasper?" she said sweetly, looking up at him from underneath her eyelashes. "Would you help me with the popcorn?"

He gulped once. "Um…sure. I mean, yes! Of course!" He quickly got up and walked over to her side, almost tripping on the end table on his way.

"Emmett? Rosalie? I'm putting you guys in charge of drinks." she said, continuing her orders.

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" said Emmett, quickly straightening himself out and saluting her.

She then turned to me. "Edward? Bella? You guys are in charge of picking a movie."

"And it had better be a good one!" Emmett hollered, before he and Rosalie left to go get drinks from the store.

I turned my head, but Alice and Jasper had already disappeared into the kitchen with their own mission.

I turned back toward Edward. "So, what do you feel like watching?" he asked me with a grin.

"Hmm…something scary I think." I said, moving over to me and Alice's combined movie collection. I glanced up at him to see if he was coming, and he looked absolutely shocked. I grinned. "What? Did you think I wanted to watch some chick flick?"

He finally scooted over near me to look through the boxes. "Well…yeah, actually." he said, grinning as well.

"Ooh! I know! The Ring!" I said, fishing it out of our movie bin.

"I thought you said you wanted to watch something scary?" he said laughing at me.

I choose not to dignify that with a response, and instead stuck my tongue out at him. "So now what?" I asked.

"Hmm…twenty questions?" he suggested.

"Ah, sure, why not." I replied, laying down on the carpet.

"Okay!" he said cheerfully, laying down next to me. "One: favourite colour?"

"Purple."

"Favourite food?" he asked.

"Pasta."

"Favourite book?"

"Oh God, too many to list!" I replied. Just thinking about all the possibilities made my head spin.

He smiled at that. "Pets?"

"Only Goldie, and, well…" I faked a sob. "she _died!_ Oh Goldie, woe is me!"

We laughed at my dramatic response, until he propped himself up on one elbow and said "Rosalie posed an interesting question earlier. What do you look for…in the opposite gender?" he finished awkwardly.

What did I look for in a guy? "Well…" I started.

"We've got pop!" Emmett cried, bursting into the door with Rosalie close behind him.

Alice sighed, coming out of the kitchen. "And we've got popcorn." she said, holding up the bag and giving Emmett a displeased look.

"What did _I_ do?!" Emmett asked, looking totally confused.

Alice choose to ignore him, and instead asked "What movie did you pick?" while throwing her bag to Emmett. Jasper threw another one at Edward, and then opened up his own bag and passed it to Alice wordlessly. She gave him a dazzling smile.

"The Ring." I replied, stealing a piece of popcorn from Edward.

"Oh no. Oh no, no, no!" Alice cried, putting her hands up to her face.

Emmett laughed wickedly, and gave a "Woo-hoo!" while Rosalie shrugged and said "Fine by me."

"It's okay Alice. I'll sit next to you, and if you get scared I'll be right there." Jasper said, bending down so that they were eye-level.

"Well…okay." she said, clearly defeated. "Let the movie begin."

**Can I get an "awwww"? Hahahah, making Edward do Soulja Boy was like, the highlight of my life! If you don't know what I'm talking about, go look up "Crank That Soulja Boy" on YouTube, and you'll see what I mean. Yay! Yet again another long chapter! Chapter title is Between You And Me by Lemon Demon. (My favourite band in the whole wide world! While you're at it, look them up too if you'd like!)**


	6. Letterbomb

**A/N: Hello all! The first half of this chapter was written at about one in the morning while I was attempting to sleep, but I think (or at least, hope) that it all makes sense. Also, I just want to add that I'm changing the genre from Drama to Suspense. I don't know why I didn't do that in the first place, but anyways! Hope you like it, and please review!!**

_**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything and anything Twilight related. **_

Chapter 6

Alice wearily brought the DVD over to the player and popped it in. Meanwhile, Emmett and Rosalie were setting themselves up on the couch, with Emmett seated at one end and acting as a Rosalie's footrest. Edward and I were both on the floor again, laying close enough where it felt a bit awkward, but not exactly uncomfortable.

Jasper noisily dragged a kitchen chair over and placed it down next to the armchair. He then sat himself down, right before Alice made her way over after flicking the lights. "Why'd you do that silly? You can sit in the other armchair if you'd like." said Alice, motioning towards the chair.

"I told you I'd sit next to you, and I'm sticking with it." he said, smiling slightly. Alice smiled back, and sat down gracefully.

Then the movie began, and let me tell you, it was quite a bit scarier than I had remembered. Alice spent the majority of the movie squealing, only quieting down a bit once Jasper had grabbed her hand.

Rosalie had her eyes covered for all the scary parts, and I will admit, I had to do the same once or twice. I could hear Edward chuckle each time I ducked my head, but I didn't care.

Now Emmett, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed screaming obnoxiously right before a particularly suspenseful moment. This, of course, made everybody jump, and caused a chorus of "Emmettttt!!!!"'s to be called out each time.

Once it was finally finished, Alice let out a wail of "I won't be sleeping _at all_ tonight!"

"Aw sis, it'll be alright." said Emmett. "How about you go and pick another movie so you can get your mind on something else?"

She instantly lit up. "Okay!"

In the end, Alice had chosen Happy Feet, which thoroughly annoyed Emmett, claiming he wished he had never mentioned it. "If I'm watching that, then somebody at least has to go get more popcorn!" he said.

I sighed. "Alright, I'll go." I said, slowly lifting myself out of my comfortable spot. I walked all the way to the door, and then stopped and turned back around. "I'm scared." I said quietly. Usually I wasn't so bad, but after that movie I had the major creeps.

Emmett and Edward burst out into laughter, while Jasper smiled, looking like he would have joined them if not for the fact that he was so polite. "I'll go with you." Edward said, still laughing and getting up.

"Thank you." I said stiffly, trying to maintain as much dignity as possible.

We walked down the halls in a comfortable silence. Even though it was embarrassing, I was glad that Edward had said he would come with me. There was no way I'd be able to walk these halls, which I was still so unfamiliar with, alone, late at night.

As we walked through the lobby, I instantly got the distinct impression that I was being watched. I attempted to shake it off. _This is stupid Bella!_ I thought to myself. _It was just a dumb movie, nobody's watching you. _

I looked up at Edward, and he seemed perfectly at ease. _See?_ I reasoned. _He's not worried, so neither should you be. Stop being so paranoid! I just _had_ to say horror movie, didn't I?_

We made our way through the parking lot to Edward's car. I had offered to take mine, but he kept insisting his was closer. However, I had my suspicions that it had more to do with something stupid like using up my gas.

I got into the passenger's side of his Volvo, and we made the short trip to the store. Lucky for us, or I suppose Emmett, they stayed open incredibly late on weekends. I suppose they expected all the kids from the university to want snacks late at night.

"Thanks for having me over Bella. I really appreciate it." Edward had said on the ride back.

I laughed a little bit. "Don't thank me, it was all Alice."

"Okay, then thanks for letting me get to know you a little bit tonight." he said, giving me a brief glance before returning his gaze to the road.

I blushed. "Oh, it was no problem." And really? It wasn't. Generally, it was a lot harder to open up to people, and usually I was a lot more shy. However, there was something about him that made me _want_ to talk. It was strange because he wasn't like Emmett, or Alice, or even Rosalie. They all had fierce personalities, ones that you had no choice but to open up with. But Edward was different, and yet I still found myself unable to help but want to talk to him.

We finally made our way back to the school, and were already in the lobby again when Edward had said "Ah, shit. Forgot my wallet in the car. You can just wait here if you want, and I'll be back in a sec."

"Alright." I said, sitting down on a bench. The lobby, I could deal with. The feeling that I was being watched had returned again, but there were a few other people walking about the place, so I felt relatively safe.

I had been watching Edward exit, when suddenly I heard a "Hey." from behind my back. I jumped about a foot, and turned to see a friendly-faced blonde boy sitting on the other half of the bench, and smiling at me. "I'm Mike Newton." he said, extending his hand.

My heart had finally stopped racing a little bit, so I returned the gesture and shook his hand as I said "Bella Swan."

"Bella." he repeated. "Well Bella, I was just wondering if you would be interested in hanging out sometime?"

_Was he asking me out? _"Oh, uh-" I began.

"I'm back!" Edward said from behind me, making him the second person to make me jump this evening.

I clutched at my chest, hoping my heartbeat would slow a bit. "Hi Edward." I said, before adding "Edward, Mike. Mike, Edward." pointing at each while I made very brief introductions. My heart was still going crazy.

"Hey." said Edward, looking a bit nervous, but giving Mike a smile all the same. Mike simply nodded his head, his mouth a hard-set line.

"Well anyways Mike, it was nice meeting you, but I've got to go now, so I'll see you around." I said, getting up and beginning to walk away.

Half-way through the lobby, I realized I hadn't answered his question. I turned back to look at him, and he was still sitting there, glaring at the back of Edward's head. _Whoa, possessive much?_ I thought.

We finally made it back to my room, and were greeted like heroes upon our arrival. "Thank God, I'm starving!" called Emmett, snatching the box from me and running to the kitchen to make a few bags.

"Footresttttt!" Rosalie whined.

I could hear Emmett's chuckle as I made my way back to the floor. "So," Edward said, resuming his spot next to me. "How did you know that guy? Did he go to your high school or something?"

"What guy?" said Alice, perking up in her seat while Rosalie did the same.

"Oh, some Mike Newton guy. I've never met him before until now. He just sort of came up and started talking to me." I replied, hoping the topic would change soon.

"Oh, I know him!" Alice said. "He went to my school in grade nine, I think. Kind of creepy, but really nice."

"Kind of creepy?" asked Emmett, re-entering with three new bags of popcorn. "Didn't he follow you home from school once?"

"Well, okay." Alice rephrased. "Really creepy, but still very nice."

"He likes you." said Edward matter-of-factly, while Alice put in movie number two.

"Maybe." I said shrugging while I stole a piece of popcorn from him.

The movie began, and it was only then that I realized it was really, really late. Thank God I still had a day before classes started. I felt my eyes close a little bit, and before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

I awoke with a start, slightly confused as to where I was. It took a moment before I realized that I must have fallen asleep during the movie.

I sat up, and Alice walked into the room. "Good morning!" she said cheerfully, looking completely put-together despite the fact that she had went to sleep later than I had.

"What happened?" I asked, still a bit groggy, as I wiped sleep away from my eyes.

"Oh, you and Edward both fell asleep on the floor." she said in a chipper voice. "He woke up after the movie finished, told me to tell you goodnight. It was around that time that everyone started leaving. I couldn't believe you didn't wake up, but I guess you're a sound sleeper." she finished.

I nodded my head in agreement, and got up to stretch, while Alice went to go get me a mug of coffee. I twisted my neck back and forth, when something on the wall caught my eye. I turned back around and gasped. "Alice!" I called.

She walked in again asking "What is it?" before she noticed where I was pointing.

"Oh goodness!" she cried.

There, written on the wall in big, black letters, it read "DO _NOT_ FUCK WITH ME."

**Ooh suspense! I just want to apologize for having to use the f-bomb. Normally, I wouldn't, but it was the best way I could make it work, so, sorry! Chapter title is Letterbomb by Green Day. **


	7. Vindicated

**Yay! I did it! This chapter was a bit of a toughie to write, but once I actually sat down and got to work, it pieced together rather nicely. Of course, I wrote the second half at *checks clock* four in the morning! Soo, what sounds good now may actually be awful. :-P Hope you like it anyways, please review!!**

**Also! Some much needed thank you's are in order!! Firstly to the ever amazing AliceKnowsAll. Without her, I probably would have given up on this story a long time ago. Go check her out please, she's incredible. Second, to Smash King24. He has read and reviewed every single chapter even though he's never read Twilight before! He's great too, so check him out as well!! And lastly, to YOU! Everyone who's been reading/reviewing/faving/alerting, I really appreciate it!! Anyways, I promise I'll shut up now. It's late, and I'm rambling, so ONWARD!**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, dude.**_

Chapter 7

Alice put her hands up to her mouth in shock. "I'm going to call Jasper. Maybe he'll know what to do." she said, already making her way back towards the kitchen.

I simply stared at those big, black letters on the wall. Once I got over the initial shock, I realized that this message was directed towards me. _Me!_ But who on earth would want to threaten me? And more importantly, why?

"Jasper said he'll be here in a few." Alice said, re-entering the room. "I still can't believe this. And on our first day too."

"I'm sorry Alice." I said, prying my eyes away from the wall and turning towards her.

"Why are you sorry?" she asked, confused.

"Because this is all my fault!" I said, gesturing to the wall again. "Whoever did this was trying to get a message to me. They wrote it over my friggin' head for goodness sake!"

"Now Bella," said Alice. "You don't know that. It could have been for Edward too. I mean, he was sleeping there as well. Or even me. It's not just you're room you know."

"I hadn't thought of that…" I said. "But still. I just know. It's for me."

Alice sighed, and walked over to the door after hearing a knock.

Jasper stood there, looking like he had just rolled out of bed and ran straight here. Actually, now that I think of it, he probably did. He was still in his pyjamas, and his hair was a bit frazzled, but other than that he looked completely awake. "Where is it?" he said.

Alice pointed over to the wall, and he walked over to it, examining it closely. "Hi Bella." he added quietly as he studied it.

"Hey." I replied weakly.

"Well," he said, finally turning away from the wall. "If this had happened any other day, then I would have said differently, but since it's your first day on campus I'm thinking this was probably some sort of prank. I've seen it happen before. Last year was my first year here, and somebody threw mushrooms at our door every hour on my first day. Now I will admit, I haven't heard anyone talk about writing on walls, but I think this is probably somebody's sick idea of a joke."

"Are you sure?" asked Alice nervously from beside him.

"No." he said seriously. "But I think that that's most likely the case. I would advise making sure your door is locked from now on though."

Alice nodded her head in agreement. "Sorry about waking you." she added. "I just figured you were the best person to ask about this sort of thing seeing as you've been here longer than all of us."

"It's no problem." he replied. "In fact, I'm glad you did."

She smiled at him. "Thank you Jasper."

Suddenly, there was another knock at the door. I quickly went to get it so that Alice wouldn't bounce over and disturb the 'moment' her and Jasper were sharing.

To my surprise, it was Edward. "Oh, um, hi Bella." he said awkwardly, brushing the hair from his eyes. "I just didn't get to say bye last night, so I wanted to, um…yeah."

He gave a wave of his hand, and turned to leave when Alice's voice stopped him. "Don't worry Edward, I delivered your message."

"Oh, okay. Thanks Alice!" he said, peeking his head into the doorway. He froze. "What the hell is that?!" he asked, finally noticing the wall.

"Jasper thinks it's some sort of prank." I said, making a gesture to allow him entrance.

He walked in, and continued to gape in horror. "What kind of person does that? I mean, seriously!"

"People can be awful sometimes." said Jasper grimly.

"Don't worry about it Edward." I told him. "It was just a joke. Me and Alice were a bit freaked out at first, but it's fine now. I'll just wash the wall and everything will be okay." I still had the impression that it was not a prank, and that someone was out to get me, but what Jasper had said made sense. More than likely, it was just someone's messed up idea of _funny_. We would just have to be more careful with the locks next time.

"Bella." he said, giving me an intense expression. "Someone _broke into_ your dorm room, and wrote _that,_" he gestured dramatically. "on your wall! How can you say everything is fine?"

"_Not helping Edward!_" Alice said, her voice actually managing to raise in pitch. Huh, didn't think that was possible.

He shook his head a bit. "I apologize. I just," he said, glancing at me. "worry."

"It's alright." I repeated, grabbing his shoulders and steering him to the couch. I sat down next to him and he gave me a weak smile.

"Just promise me something." he said.

"Okay…" I replied, wondering what on earth he could want.

"Lock your doors." he said seriously. Gently, he kissed my hand, so quickly I wasn't even sure it had happened, and then he was up and walking towards the door again. "Bye Bella." he said as he turned the knob. "Alice. Jasper." he added, nodding his head, and then he was gone.

Alice sighed loudly. "I suppose I should let you get back to your sleep." she said to Jasper.

He smiled shyly. "I'll come back later if you'd like."

She pouted slightly. "Do you promise?"

Laughing a little, he replied, "Promise." before also making his way towards the door. He gave a slight wave, and then he too, was gone.

Alice sighed loudly and collapsed onto the couch next to me. "Boy, oh boy." she said, looking and me. We both laughed at her dramatic-ness, until she said "Edward likes you, you know."

I felt myself turning red again. "I dunno…" I said.

"He does." she said simply, getting off the couch and walking back towards the kitchen. "If you clean _that_ mess up, I'll make breakfast." she added, turning back towards me with a twirl.

"Deal." I said.

I walked over to the bathroom, and went to get the sponge and bucket, hoping that that mess would come out easily. It would be a lot easier for me to think of it as a prank if there was no residue left behind.

I made my way back to the living room, and gave the writing a stare down one last time. _Goodbye creepy threat._ I thought, before attacking it with Mr. Clean.

Thankfully, it came out with a little elbow grease. Whoever put it there must not have been too concerned about making it stay. _Just to get their message across._ I thought, but quickly pushed it back. No, no. It was just a prank. _Just_ a prank.

_I really have to get this whole 'paranoid' think under control._ I thought, as I made my way back to the bathroom to put the supplies away.

As I returned, Alice came back with two plates of scrambled eggs and toast, done perfectly and in the shape of a smiley face to boot. "Alice, you're too cute." I said, giving her a smiley face of my own and taking the plate.

"Thanks!" she said, returning the grin.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" I asked, taking a bite of eggs.

She had just bit into her toast, and swallowed before answering "Mmm, well, I think Jasper's going to come over for a bit." she said, smiling a little before adding "What about you?"

"Hmm.." I said, contemplating. "I think I might go to a movie or something." I improvised. Honestly, I had no clue what I was doing today, but I didn't want to tie Alice down or make her worry about my boredom.

"That's fun." she said, cheerful as always. "Who're you going with?"

I paused. _Going with? _"Uhh…I was just going to go by myself." I said. I hadn't even thought about it at all really.

"Bella," she said, giving me one of those_ looks_. "You are _not_ going to the movies by yourself. Now either you find somebody, or I'll find someone for you."

"Oh really?" I said raising my eyebrow. "And _you're_ going to make me?"

"Yes. Yes I am." she said, crossing her arms. "You've got three seconds to get moving towards the phone."

"Pfft, no." I said, laughing at her attempts to be threatening.

"Fine." she said, getting off the couch in a huff.

"Alice?" I called after her. "Alice, where are you going?" _She wasn't being serious…was she?_

"Hi Emmett! Is Edward around?" I could hear from the kitchen. _Oh damn!_

"ALICE!" I yelled, rushing off the couch and barging into the kitchen. I attempted to wrestle to phone out of her grip, but _somehow_ shortie kept it out of my reach. "I hate you." I mouthed at her, sticking out my tounge.

"Love you!" she mouthed back, holding the phone away from her for a second. "Hello, Edward? Hi, this is Alice. Bella needs a playdate for today and I was thinking you'd be perfect for the job." I sighed. "Uh huh…uh huh. Okay, great! See you!" she finished, hanging up. "He'll be here at noon."

I stood, staring at her for a moment. "I _can't_ believe you just did that…Now I actually have to look _good _today!" I said, exasperated.

Alice giggled. "You'll be thanking me later. Now chop, chop Bella dear!" she said, giving me a gentle shove towards the shower.

"Did I mention I hate you?" I said with a big smile.

"Maybe once or twice." she replied, dropping me a quick wink.

**Well, that's my attempt at writing a longer chapter. It didn't turn out all that long, but I suppose it's longer than it would have otherwise been. Chapter title is Vindicated by Dashboard Confessional. **


	8. The Afternoon

**Oh jeez. Sorry that took so long! I was having some serious beef with my computer, and I didn't want to start a new chapter in case the memory had to be wiped. Thank you for being patient!! Please review. **

Chapter 8

Forty minutes after Alice's malicious phone call, I was all set and ready to go. Which of course left just enough time for me to start panicking. _Fantastic._ There were just so many things that could go wrong.

"Alice," I said, walking over to her. "I think this is a really, _really_ bad idea.

"Why on earth would you say that?" she asked, looking up from the paper she was reading.

"Well, Edward and I got along fine yesterday, but who's to say we won't run out of things to talk about today? Or what if he gets bored of me? I can be quite boring sometimes. Or _maybe_ he actually hates me, and only agreed to go with me out of pity." I ranted, going through my mental list.

Alice laughed a little. "Bella, calm down. Everything will be fine. Trust me, I know these things."

I hesitated for a moment, before sighing. "Alright."

"And by the way," she added, going back to her paper. "It's not out of pity. He seemed _quite_ pleased when I asked him to come."

I shrugged my shoulders and sighed again, before there was a brief knock at the door.

Alice grinned, and put down her paper as I went to get it. "Ten minutes early. _Someone's_ an eager beaver."

"Alice, sush!" I hissed, before opening the door to reveal a smiling…"_Mike?_" I asked, shocked.

"Hey Bella!" he said, as if he hadn't been acting like a total creepy and possessive jerk last night. "So, you never answered my question last night…"

"What question?" I asked, still totally confused.

"About hangin' soon? Well, I'm having a bitchin' party next Saturday, and I thought it'd be cool if you came." he said.

"Oh, erm…next Saturday? Ohhh, I think Alice and I were supposed to do something that day." I said, while Alice appeared behind me, nodding her head in agreement. "Sorry." I added.

Mike looked confused for a moment, before his face lit up. "Heyy, Alice!! Long time no see!" he said, waggling his eyebrows at her. Alice looked a bit ill. "It's cool. You can both come!" _Damnit!!!!_

I sighed, defeated. "Yeah, sure Mike. We'll be there."

"Awesomeeee!" he said, grinning hugely. "See ya!"

I close the door and turned to see a livid looking Alice. "_What_ did you do that for?" she asked.

"Do what for?" I asked, trying to look innocent.

"Bringing me down with you!! Now I have to go to scum-bag's party too!"

"I thought you said he was nice?" I pointed out.

She glared at me. "You're lucky I like you so much, or you'd be a goner."

I laughed. "Okay Alice. I'll keep that in mind." She laughed along with me, when suddenly there was another knock at the door. "It had better be him this time." I grumbled, while reaching for the door, although part of me wished that he wouldn't show up at all. Don't get me wrong, I really liked hanging out with him, but it was just so _hard_.

No such luck. I opened the door, and there was Edward, smiling as cheerful as ever. Thankfully, all my second thoughts were pushed aside at the sight of him, and I was able to smile back.

"I was informed you were in need of a 'playdate'?" Edward asked teasingly.

"Haha, yup, that's me." I replied a little awkwardly.

"Well then," said Alice from behind me. "Get a move on you two! Be good and have fun!"

"Will do chief!" said Edward, hooking his arm in mine and leading me out the door. Once it shut behind him, he turned to me and said "So Bella, what will it be today?"

"Oh…um…I dunno…" I said. I hadn't really had time to think about what we'd _do_ since I had been too busy worrying about everything else.

"Ah, so an adventure?" he said dramatically with a grin.

"Wow, you're in a good mood today." I said laughing at his bouncy antics.

"Well," he said, beginning to walk down the hall "I get to spend the day with you. Now how about we start with lunch?"

"Okay." I replied, turning red but nonetheless feeling an unstoppable smile creep onto my face. "Sounds good."

After taking the drive in Edward's car, (of course), we pulled up to…"The grocery store?" I asked, completely surprised.

Edward chuckled. "Have a little faith in me Bella, I'm not that bad of a cook." he said, while unbuckling his seatbelt. "Now you wait right here, and I'll be back in a few." He began walking away, but quickly spun back around and walked over to the car. "Are you a vegetarian?" he asked.

I laughed at that one. "Oh Edward, if you ever met my dad, you would know that is simply impossible."

"Okay." he responded, smiling and walking away again, before just as quickly turning back around. "Allergies?"

"Do you plan on making Ragweed Stew?" I asked, giving him a cheeky smile.

"Nah, wasn't planning on it." he said, smiling again, and finally making his way into the store. After a few minutes of waiting, the creepy feeling like I was being watched returned once more, but this time it passed much faster.

Suddenly, I heard a creaking at the door. I screamed and threw my hands up, ready to fight off whoever was coming. "Whoa, Bella, relax. It's just me." I peaked through my finger tips to see Edward looking down at me with a concerned expression. He put his groceries in the back seat, and gently pulled my hands away from my face. He then placed his own hands on my shoulders, and looked at me square in the eye. "What's the matter?"

I looked away, embarrassed. "It's…nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Bella, that wasn't nothing." he said, turning my head to face his. I couldn't help but notice, even in my distraught state, that he had kept his hand on my cheek.

"It's stupid…I just…" he continued to look at me expectantly. "Well, I get the feeling that I'm being watched." I finished, waiting to hear laughter, and him telling me that I was just being dumb.

"It's okay Bella." he said, still looking directly at me. "Nothing's going to happen to you."

"Thanks Edward." I said, relieved he didn't think I was a complete nut-job, while giving him a slight smile.

He finally removed his hand from my cheek, even though I wouldn't have minded if he didn't, and started up the engine. "So," he said, attempting to lighten the mood. "do you like chicken?"

I grinned at him as we sped off to the next mystery destination.

**I apologize that it wasn't the longest of chapters, I'm trying to work on it. :-) Chapter title is The Afternoon, again by Lemon Demon.**


	9. Your English Is Good

**Hello again! So first off, I have to give a huge shout out to AliceKnowsAll and her story 'Destination Volterra'. I had been reading it earlier today, and it gave me the inspirtation I needed to be able to write. Please, if you get a chance go check it out! **

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, yo. ;-)**_

Chapter 9

As it turned out, Edward was indeed an excellent cook. After a fantastic lunch, him and I had spent the day in the park together, talking the entire afternoon. When I thought back to my silly worries from before, they had practically made me laugh out loud. Edward was very easy to get along with, and he did not, in fact, hate me. Yes, I _had _asked him, but he simply laughed.

"Oh Bella," he said "you're hilarious. How could I possibly hate you?"

I shrugged my shoulders, muttering more to myself than him, about my irrational paranoia. This only made him laugh harder, until he checked the time. "Wow, five o'clock already? I guess I should get you home before little Miss Alice begins to think that I've decided to kidnap you." he said, getting up and offering me his hand.

"Yeah, good plan." I said, grabbing it and pulling myself up.

We made our way back to his car, and as I was doing up my seatbelt, I realized that not once while Edward was with me had I felt the looming presence of someone else watching. I told him as such, and he smiled a little before saying simply "I'm glad."

We drove in silence for a little while before Edward said casually, but not without a slight undertone of annoyance, "So, what was Newton doing in your hallway, this morning?"

"Oh, you saw him?" I asked, nervous just thinking about the upcoming weekend where Mike would surely do everything in his power to spend as much time as possible with me.

Edward only nodded, looking straight ahead. "Oh, well, he invited me and Alice to a party of his this weekend." I said, attempting to sound indifferent.

"Oh yeah?" he said, in that same not-so-casual, casual tone. "What'd you say?"

I realized with a slight jolt that Edward was a bit jealous. Laughable, really. "Well, I didn't really want to, but he was very persistent, so Alice and I are sort of stuck with going." I said, trying to sound as uninterested in Mike as possible.

His grip on the wheel slackened slightly. "You don't have to go if you don't want to you know." he said, taking an occasional glance at me.

I sighed. "I know, but I said I would, so I've gotta do it."

Edward nodded. "How very brave of you." he said, pulling into a parking spot back at the dorm and undoing his seatbelt. He hopped out of the car before pausing. "If he gives you any trouble at all, call me, okay?" he said, holding up his cell phone. "Here," he added, handing it to me. "Put your number in there. Please."

I quickly grabbed my phone from my pocket and swapped it for his. After programming my number in, I said cheerfully, "There ya go!" before handing him back his phone.

He gave me back mine, and as I started walking towards the building he called "Wait! I need your picture first!" I gave him a look, as he grinned and said "So I know who's calling."

"My name's in there." I said, but stood still and smiled anyways.

_Click!_ "There. Beautiful picture." said Edward, before closing his phone shut. "Now let's get you back to your room."

I had returned to the dorm where Alice had been sitting in the kitchen waiting for me. The second that the door had closed behind Edward, Alice began bombarding me with questions. "What happened? Did you have fun? What did you guys do? Are you happy you went? You're not mad at me for setting it up, are you?"

I laughed. "Alice, relax. It was fine. I had lots of fun. We just sort of hung out and talked."

She narrowed her eyes. "You and your non-descriptive descriptiveness! There has to be more to it than that!"

I laughed again. "Not really. He made some lunch-"

"Ooh, he cooked?" she asked eagerly.

"Yes, and it was very good." I said. She still looked like she wanted more information, so I quickly changed the subject. "So, did you see Jasper today?"

Yes, that definitely worked. She got a sort of dreamy look on her face before sighing and saying "Yes."

"Am I right to assume it went well?" I asked, making my way to the kitchen to start dinner.

"Very." she said in that same far-away tone. "He wants to see me again soon." Her voice quickly changed to accusatory. "He_ wanted_ to do something on the weekend, but I had to tell him I had plans."

"Oh, I'm really sorry Alice. Honestly, you don't have to go to Mike's with me. I was only joking anyways." I said.

"And let you go to that creep's house alone? I think not! I would have gone with you anyways, even if he didn't invite me to come along. I just wish you hadn't said yes in the first place." she said, moving over to the sink so she could clean dishes while I cooked.

"You're the best Alice." I said, still amazed at how I had managed to find such a great friend in such a quick amount of time.

She sighed dramatically. "I know. It's not easy, but _somebody's_ gotta do it."

After eating a quick supper, and yet again doing more dishes, Alice and I both retired to the living room. Alice had been painting her nails a bright pink, while I had curled up onto the couch with a book, when suddenly, the phone rang.

Alice and I looked at each other, before I took a quick glance at her half dry nails, and got up to get the phone.

"Hello?" I answered. I waited for a response, but nothing came from the other end. "Hello?" I said again. I was about to hang up, when suddenly I heard breathing. Slow, shallow breaths, and then _click_, the line went dead.

I stared at the phone for a moment before clumsily putting it back on the receiver. "Wrong number?" asked Alice, from her spot on the floor, oblivious to my discomfort.

I made my way back to the couch and said "No actually. It was…breathing. Just breathing."

"Breathing?" Alice asked sharply, looking up at me.

"Yeah. Really heavy, and then they hung up." I answered, still shocked. _Who would do something like that?_

"What?!" she said, sounding close to hysterics.

I shook my head a bit before answering. "I'm sure it was just a wrong number. They probably just…I dunno…hung up when they heard my voice or something."

"Yeah," said Alice slowly. "That was probably all it was."

I contemplated telling Alice about my feelings of being watched, but quickly pushed it aside. Even though she had acted like she thought the phone call was nothing, I could tell she was really quite frightened. I could handle being afraid, but I wasn't quite sure Alice would be able to as well.

Silently, she went back to painting her nails, but my book remained on the armrest untouched. I stared off into space, only realizing after five minutes that my gaze had been fixed on the wall. Yes, without a residue, it was much easier to forget those bone-chilling words from yesterday, but I had a feeling that someone out there was going to make it next to impossible for me to ever really forget. Someone that didn't _want_ me to forget.

**Well, that chapter came out much nicer than the last. I'm really quite pleased with this one, whereas chapter eight felt incredibly forced (sorry about that!). Chapter title is Your English Is Good by Tokyo Police Club. (Hahah, if you don't get it, I picked that one for irony purposes…the person doesn't talk…English is good…get it? Ah, nevermind.) :-P **


	10. Ain't No Rest For The Wicked

**Hello everyone! I'm so sorry it's taken forever to write a new chapter. School's been sucking the life out of me. So yay for long weekends! Hope you like it!**

_**Disclaimer: Clearly I do not own Twilight.**_

Chapter 10

My first week of university had gone by relatively smoothly. I had only gotten lost twice, and had managed to trip a low number of four times on one of the many impossible pathways. Although, best of all was the fact that it had gone by without any feelings of being watched, and definitely no phone calls or writing on walls. I was beginning to realize that I had been paranoid all along. It was just some stupid prank being played, but now they were over themselves and I could live in peace.

Now, however, it was the weekend, and the weekend only meant one thing: Mike Newton's party.

"Bella," Alice said, with a small glimmer of hope in her voice as I stared glumly at my closet. "You can still not go you know."

I exhaled. I had been trying to find an outfit that would have the Alice stamp of approval, while still not giving Mike any incentive to act bolder than he already had been. "Alice, I told him I'd go. I'm not going to duck out now. That's rude."

"Oh fine!" she exhaled dramatically, realizing my morals would not budge with this one. "I guess I'll go get ready then." she added, hopping off my bed.

"_You_ can still not go you know!" I called to her exiting form. She simply snorted at me, making her way to her own monstrous closet while shaking her head slightly. I hated the fact that Alice had to suffer with me, but overall I was pleased she was going. Mike Newton made me nervous.

Finally, realizing my clothing task was impossible - Alice would yell at me if I looked bad, Mike would hit on me if I looked good - I settled for a pair of jeans and one of my older tops. Hopefully I had found middle ground.

I made my way out of my room, to find Alice already sitting on the chair. She smiled and was quick to compliment my outfit choice. _Crap!_ _So much for middle ground. _Alice, of course, looked stunning as usual as she jumped up, getting ready to leave.

"Let's do this!" she said, marching out the front door.

I giggled before saying "You sound like a drill sergeant!"

She quickly saluted me before locking to door behind us.

We pulled up to building one, _Mike's building_, and hurriedly got out of the car. I could already hear the thudding of base as we walked up the stone steps of the edifice. I groaned inwardly at the challenge I was about to face. Parties and I were _not_ a very good mix.

Staring at my hand with his address on it, I made my way towards his room. It wasn't really necessary - the music was quite a clear indication of where we were to go - but it gave me something to do rather than worry about being in a small crowded room with a bunch of random people I didn't even know.

I looked to my left and once again felt incredibly grateful Alice had volunteered her services. If it weren't for her, I probably would have turned back around by now. "Breathe Bella." she reminded my calmly.

I smiled and took a dramatic breath to prove I was fine. _You can do this, you can do this, you can do this. _

We finally reached room 108, and before we could even knock, the door swung open. "'Sup ladies?" said Mike, his words already slightly slurred, as if the cup in his hands wasn't warning enough.

"Hi." I said timidly.

His eyes widened. "Bella! You came!" before I could even react, he had grabbed me into a tight hug. I felt my eyes widen as Alice shook with silent laughter.

"Umm…Mike?" I asked.

"Mmhmm?" He squished me tighter.

"Do you think you could maybe let me go?" I squeaked, knowing I wouldn't be able to breath for much longer if he didn't.

"Rightttt." he said, _finally_ letting go of me. "'Sup?" he repeated. Suddenly he noticed the person on my left. "Alice!" he cried again, grasping her into a tight squeeze. I laughed, understanding why the situation was so funny now that it wasn't me being attacked.

"Hi Mike." she said gently patting him on the back while simultaneously pushing him away. He let go of her.

"Come in, come in." he said gesturing wildly with his hands. "Chez moi!" he added, and then giggled. Alice and I exchanged a look before entering Mike's room. Instantly, my senses were assaulted with the smell of beer and lots of cheap perfume. The lights were dimmed, and, amazingly, the music was even louder inside. I hadn't thought that to be possible. I glanced around, noticing the guy to girl ratio was extremely unbalanced. For every five girls there was probably about one guy. _Leave it to Mike._

"Can I get you something to drink?" he said looking down at me.

"Umm…no thanks." I replied. I was pretty sure that whatever Mike would bring me wouldn't be good for my health.

"'Kay." he answered contentedly. "I gotta go get another drink," he added. _Yes! Freedom! _"Yo! Come meet Bella!" he called to some unseen people across the room. I groaned, quiet enough that he wouldn't hear.

The second Mike left, I was swarmed by numerous people, all carrying cups and speaking in various degrees of slurring.

"Heyyyy Bella! What's up?"

"Yo, Mike told me about you!"

"Your shirt is like, sooo cute!"

"What's your number?"

There were so many faces, I hadn't even had time to put names to them all. There were clicks of camera phones taking pictures, and beeping as everyone simultaneously added and gave phone numbers. Everything was a blur, and I felt absolutely surrounded. _Why did I let Mike talk me into this?_ I looked over at Alice, and she seemed completely at ease, looking as though she might start dancing at any moment.

Quickly, I went through the pros and cons in my head. _Dancing…or the continued invasion? _Without even really thinking about it, I grabbed Alice's hand and yanked her onto the makeshift dance floor. Anything to get away.

I moved to the beat for a few moments before realizing this was actually _fun. _Of course, it was short lived as the mob was quick to follow me. However, many of them were so absorbed with their own strange dancing that they no longer noticed me. _Thank God!_

I saw Mike return to the spot where I was previously with a confused expression on his face. He looked around before spotting me in the centre of the horde. He smiled and waved, and I waved back before quickly looking away. Dancing required a vast amount of concentration when you had balance like mine.

Without warning, I felt a pair of hands grasp me around the waist and begin dragging me away from the dance floor. I couldn't even scream, I was so shocked. Finally, the hands released me once I had reached the edge of the crowd. "Mike! What the hell!" I yelled once I had realized who had grabbed me.

He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry Bella, I just wanted to ask you something."

"So you decided to manhandle me?!" I screeched at him. The second that I had felt hands around me, all my previous paranoia had returned. I thought that they had finally come for me, but it was Mike. It was just Mike.

"Well when you say it like that…" he murmured, looking down at his feet.

"Ugh!" I cried, throwing my hands up into the air exasperatedly. "What did you want to ask me?" I added, still annoyed.

He looked up, and his expression changed, making me instantly wish I hadn't asked. "We should date." he said.

"That's not a question." I pointed out, quietly. I _really_ didn't want to be having this conversation right now.

Looking hopeful, he said "Bella, will you go out with me? Please?" he added.

"Oh, Mike, I dunno…" I said, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

"Aw, come on Bella!" he responded. His expression turned more intense, as he grabbed the sides of my arms and started moving his face closer to mine with puckered lips.

"Don't Mike." I growled, pushing him backwards. Thankfully, he was so wasted that he stumbled back without much of a fight. It didn't last long enough though. I had just turned my back before he grabbed my arm again. "Stop grabbing me!" I said, frustrated, pushing him as hard as I could. He seemed so bewildered as to how he ended up on the floor that he didn't even bother following me as I went to search for Alice.

I marched over to where I was previously, hoping the crowd hadn't moved her too far away. Mercifully, I spotted her only a few yards forward, still swaying to the music. I grabbed her and started pulling her towards the door. "Good_bye_!" I yelled, slamming it behind me.

"Time to leave?" Alice asked in the hallway.

"Please." I muttered, rubbing my head. That stupid music had given me such a headache. I briefly thought about calling Edward, but thought the better of it. He said to call if Mike gave me trouble, but that was probably just him being, well, _Edward._ I doubt he'd want to be bothered by a trivial matter such as Mike trying to kiss me. "Let's go." I said to Alice, walking as fast as I could away from his wretched room.

I didn't even begin to relax until I had made it home. With an enormous sigh, I flopped onto the couch and closed my eyes. "Are you alright?" Alice asked quietly.

"Ugh. Yes." I opened one eye. "Mike tried to kiss me."

"Ugh." Alice agreed, throwing herself next to me. "Sorry I wasn't a better bodyguard."

I laughed. "Alice, really, he would have found a way anyways."

"I suppose…" she said thoughtfully.

"You did well." I said firmly.

"'Kay... By the way," she added, grabbing something and tossing it at me. "You've got a message."

I looked down at my phone, first amazed that I had caught it, and then worried. "It's probably Mike." I muttered in dread. "Best get it over with." I added, while flipping open my phone.

Remarkably, it was Edward. _"Hello Bella! How's Mike's?" _

I took a breath of relief and responded with _"It was terrible! I'm home already." _I checked the clock. It was ten thirty. Did he really think I'd stay that long?

It took a moment before my phone buzzed a second time. _"Really? Was he harassing you again?"_

I laughed darkly at that one. Of _course_ Mike would have been harassing me. _Hmm…he doesn't seem to be sick of me yet…_I thought, before typing _"Come over and I can tell you all about it."_ If he doesn't want to, then oh well, but I couldn't help but feel nervous as I pressed the 'send' button.

I received a new message almost instantly. _"Be there in a few."_

I smiled as I closed my phone shut. "Edward's coming over!" I said cheerfully to Alice.

She looked up from the TV and smiled at me. "That boy just can't stay away, can he?"

I laughed, before feeling my phone buzz again. Thinking it was Edward, I flipped it open eagerly, only to see it read 'Unknown number'. _Weird, _I thought, pressing the open button. I stared at the message, horrified.

"_go die. _=)_"_, it read.

**Please review and tell me what you think! Chapter title is by Cage The Elephant. **


	11. Hush Hush

**Whoa! Two chapters in one day?! Thank goodness for giving thanks! ;) Review my lovelies!**

_**Disclaimer: Nope. Twilight's not mine.**_

Chapter 11

I tried to think this through logically. _Maybe it's just a joke?_ I decided to reply, even though my brain was screaming at me to shut my phone off forever and go hide in a corner for several years. _"Who is this?"_

The answering text was too quick. They had been waiting. _"patience bella. u'll find out soon enough." _Before I could respond, there was another. _"looks like u have a guest. don't worry, i'll be watching. ;)"_

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. I was so afraid, I couldn't even move. Whoever this was knew me. They knew my name, they knew my phone number, and they knew where I lived. They were watching me _right now. _I was terrified.

I was in such a daze, I hadn't even noticed Alice had let Edward in. He came and sat down next to me, smiling, but the smile quickly washed away once he noticed my face. "Bella?! What's the matter?" Alice anxiously glanced up at me in response to his question.

Wordlessly, I handed him my phone. I couldn't be trusted to speak.

I watched as Edward's face darkened as he read over the texts. "Who is this?" he said icily, with a thunderous undertone to his voice. He handed the phone to Alice who was bouncing in her seat, eager to be in on the current events.

Finally finding my voice, I murmured "I don't know."

Before even taking note of what was happening, I was in Edward's arms, him holding me in a tight hug. It was nothing like hugging Mike; _This_ was actually pleasant. Despite the current situation, I felt myself blush. "It'll be okay Bella." he muttered softly.

It was only then that I realized there were tears in my eyes.

"I'm scared." I whispered, embarrassed to admit it.

"It's okay. Everything will be okay." he repeated soothingly. I tried to believe his words, I really did, but as soon as he pulled away and I caught glimpses of his and Alice's faces, I knew it was a lie. They were just as scared as I was. This was not just me being paranoid anymore; This was real.

"Who could this be?" Alice asked, her face ghostly pale, and her eyes swimming in horror.

"I don't know." I said thickly. "So many people asked for my number at Mike's…"

"Newton." Edward growled. "Could this have been him? I know he's upset that you don't return his _feelings_." He had said the last word laced with disgust.

I was shaking my head before he had finished. "Mike gave me his number. This number says 'unknown'." I pointed out.

"Disposable phone." he said simply. "I can't think of anyone else." he added.

"It's possible." I said. I really hated the fact that Mike was a suspect, but what Edward had implied was quite true.

"We have to call the cops." he said gravely.

"No! No cops!" I responded quickly. I looked up at his surprised expression only now realizing that I had just made myself out to seem like some sort of drug lord. "My dad's a cop, and cops talk to other cops. I don't want him worrying about me." I answered his unasked question.

"Fine. No cops then." he said, clearly unhappy with this.

"Thank you." I replied, relieved Charlie wouldn't have to spend each night awake, wondering if I was okay.

"I'm staying here tonight." he said abruptly. "I'll sleep on the couch."

"Oh, no, Edward, really, you don't have to do that." I replied. His generosity had proved to be unmatched once again.

"Yes, I really do." he answered with worried eyes.

I was about to argue some more, when Alice cut me off. "Bella, be reasonable please."

I crossed my arms and pouted, but otherwise admitted defeat. Edward laughed at my childish antics before mussing up my hair and dragging himself to his feet. He pulled out his phone and began dialling numbers lightening fast. My curiosity got the better of me, and I was no longer able to hold up my pouting facade. "Whatcha' doin'?" I asked, resting my chin on the couch armrest.

He smiled slightly at my swift change in attitude and put a finger to his lips in a 'shush' motion. I pretended to zip my lips while I waited for him to finish.

"Hi, Emmett? We have a bit of a situation, and I was wondering if you could come visit your sister and Bella while I go get a few of my belongings?"

"That's not really necessary…" I interjected, but he darted down so we were face-to-face and stuck his finger on _my _lips.

"I'll explain later. Yes. Yes. Thank you." He hung up.

"Now Bella, please don't be difficult." I glared at him, but otherwise kept my mouth shut. "Thank you." he added, removing his finger and straightening himself out once he realized I was planning on cooperating. "I'll leave once Emmett gets here, which should be in about ten minutes. I promise I'll be quick."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Edward, if it's only going to be ten minutes, then just leave now. We'll be _fine_." I sounded at lot more brave than I felt.

He shook his head. "_'I'll be watching.'_" he quoted softly. "I'm not leaving you and Alice here alone."

He was right of course, but I still felt unnecessarily fussed over. He noticed my stubborn expression and added "I'm cautious. Get used to it." _Hmm… 'get used to it', eh? Well, at least that means he's planning on sticking around for awhile. _

"Thanks Edward." I said, finally realizing there was nothing I could do to change his mind. _Almost as stubborn as I am._

"For what?" he asked, from where he was hovering at the door.

"You _know_ what." I said darkly. "For staying! For being a good person! For…well…you know!"

He laughed. "I guess I do know. And you're welcome. It's no trouble at all, really Bella, so stop worrying about me. You should be worrying about _you_." I knew he was right again, but I still felt my forehead crinkle at the thought of him giving up his bed to sleep on our couch. He was _too_ good.

There was a knock, and tensely, he answered it. "Hey Emmett," he said. "I'll be back in a few." Edward glanced quickly at me before moving swiftly out the door.

"So what's this all about?" Emmett asked while entering, for once his face serious.

Alice sighed and got up from the spot she had been frozen in for the past several minutes. "It seems Bella here has made an enemy." she said, before launching into the whole story.

After she was finished, Emmett rushed over to me and enveloped me in his huge arms. He let go suddenly, and I would have fallen to the floor if he hadn't caught me. "Sorry." he mumbled, looking very upset.

"Don't worry about me Emmett!" I said, trying to cheer him up. "I'm tough!" To accentuate this, I tried showing him my 'muscles', but instead almost fell over again in the process. His booming laughter chased his worries away, and soon we all had joined him.

"Oh Bella," he cried, wiping away his tears of laughter. "What would I do without you? Who would I laugh at?" I mock punched him in the arm, but smiled anyways.

Edward returned then, pyjama-clad, with a blanket and pillow under his arm. "You sure you can handle this Edward?" Emmett asked, pausing at the door. His worry had returned, although it was not quite as pronounced as before.

He attempted to make light of the situation. "Sleeping? Sure I can."

Emmett 'pounded it' with Edward, gave Alice and I each a hug, and then made his way out the door. "You make sure you take care of my baby sister and my source of humour!" he called on his way out.

"Will do!" Edward responded, grinning, while closing the door behind him.

Edward threw his stuff down on the couch as Alice stretched and declared that she was going to bed. I sat in the chair watching Edward as he made his 'bed'. "Honestly. You don't have to do this." I said, deciding I would try once more to see if he would save himself the trouble. I took once glance at his expression and decided to rework my statement. "I can take the couch you know, and you can go sleep in my bed."

He looked seriously offended. "Bella. I am sleeping on the couch. I will be fine. Stop worrying about me." Then, he kissed the top of my head and whispered "Goodnight." before crawling onto the couch.

I stood there dazed for a moment before whispering "Goodnight," and silently flicking off all the lights until I made it to my room. I felt safe.

**Aww, so fluffy! Hahah. Chapter title is Hush Hush by Natalie Portman's Shaved Head. (Awesome band!)**


	12. You Don't Know Me

**For once, I don't have much to say haha. **

_**And Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight. **_

Chapter 12

I opened my eyes to the dim morning light, blinking in surprise at the brightness. _What day is it?_ I wondered. I had had such a deep sleep, I hadn't a clue. I got up slowly, stretching and grumbling about the hour. It was ten o'clock, and yet I _still_ felt exhausted. Shuffling my feet, I made my way out of my door and into the kitchen.

"Morning Alice," I said unenthusiastically, never removing my eyes from the tile floor; I was having a slight difficulty with movement currently.

"Morning!" came a chipper voice, along with hands that shoved a mug of coffee into my own.

"Thanks," I muttered, grateful for the warm, caffeinated beverage.

"What? I don't get a 'good morning'?" asked a deep voice in mock outrage. I looked up to see all too familiar jade coloured eyes.

"Edward?!" I squawked. "What are _you_ doing here?!" Mentally I added _I haven't even showered yet!_

His eyes widened in surprise, but Alice intervened. "Bella dear, do you not remember last night?" she asked kindly.

"Last night?" I asked, scrunching my forehead in confusion. Suddenly, it all came back to me. Everything, from the writing, to the phone calls, to the text messages. "Oh. That," I said. Suddenly, I felt wide awake.

The other two were silent as they scrutinized my face, watching as the realization slowly dawned on it. I must have looked pretty awful because Alice was quick to hug me, while Edward murmured a mantra of "It's going to be okay."

"I'm hungry," I snivelled.

"Breakfast!" Alice called cheerfully, eager to lift the depressing mood as she dropped hot pancakes onto my plate.

As I ate, the others being long done their breakfast already, Edward turned to me and said "Bella, I'm supposed to go to a baseball game with Emmett today, but if you want me to, I'd be more than happy to cancel."

I refrained my mouth from popping into a small 'o'. After everything he's done already, did he _honestly_ think I was going to let him try to do anything more? Besides, day time is not nearly as frightening as the night had been, and I felt much less scared to be alone. "No, Edward. I'll be fine." I tried my best to sound nonchalant, and actually managed to do a pretty good job.

He studied my face for a long time before finally saying "Alright. But if you need me, my phone will be on throughout the day, okay?"

I smiled and nodded. "Will do chief! I think I'm going to take some much needed study time, and maybe just walk around campus."

He looked alarmed at that last part. "Walk around campus? With a stalker on the loose?"

"It's not a stalker," I said, rolling my eyes indifferently. My brain was quick to add a _"Kind of," _mentally. "Besides, walking around wasn't all that high up on my list of priorities anyways, so don't worry about it."

He seemed content enough with this answer, leaving a moment of quiet for me to ask a question of my own. "Edward…" I began.

"Yes?" he prompted, removing his attention from the crossword puzzle he had began.

I felt my forehead crinkle again, unsure of how to word it. "Well…why do you worry about me so much?" I finished in a rush.

He paused for a moment, folding the newspaper and resting it on the counter while he thought. "That's a good question," he answered softly, removing himself from the seat. "Unfortunately, I really do have to go meet Emmett now."

He began moving towards the door. "That's a cheap answer!" I called to him.

He chuckled, turning the knob and pausing in the doorway. "How about I come over after the game, so I can have some time to figure it out myself first?"

I sighed, and nodded my head, not really happy with the 'later' part. He read the expression on my face, and laughed again, turning to walk out the door.

I glanced towards Alice, who had her mouth half-open as if she were about to say something. "Let me guess? 'Jasper's'?"

She nodded. "But I don't have to go if you'd rather I didn't…"

I was shaking my head before she even finished. "Go Alice. Go, go, get out of my sight!" I said laughing while pushing her out the door.

"Okay, call me if you need me, I'll only be a floor down from here if anything happens! Bye Bella!" she called as I closed the door on her.

"Now what?" I muttered to the empty room.

I shuffled over to my book pile, energy levels mysteriously retreating as soon as the mention of schoolwork came to mind. For fifteen minutes straight I attempted to complete some of the reading that needed to be done, but to no avail. Frustrated, I slammed the book shut and got up in a rush. _Oh, so it's going to be one of _those_ days, is it? _I quickly began pacing, trying to think of something to do. "Cleaning!" I said, excited at the prospect of having something brainless to accomplish. However, I quickly realized that I had just cleaned two days ago. "Drat!"

I looked out my window while I continued pacing, and paused. It looked like a really nice day. I opened the window, and my senses were filled with the clean scent of fresh, Fall air. I grabbed my jacket and was out the door in seconds.

Amazingly enough, I made it through the building with little to no mishaps. _Maybe it's just a joke after all! _I thought cheerfully, not really believing myself this time, but still pleased I was able to think it.

Soon, I was in the warm sun, making my way around campus. It's funny how I had been going to classes for a week now, but I hadn't had time to notice any of the little things like the colours of the buildings, or how green the grass really is, or even all the interesting people milling around. I took it all in with wide eyes, realizing only now that I hadn't ever taken a proper tour.

As I walked, a number of people from yesterday came up to greet me. For many of them, I couldn't put a name to a face.

One girl eventually walked over who I knew I had never met before. "Hey, I'm Jessica!" she said cheerfully, with her big curls bouncing.

"Oh, hi! I'm Bella!" I said giving her a small wave.

"So, what are you majoring in?" she asked, quickly catching up to stride with my walking. I soon discovered that Jessica liked to talk. _A lot. _She asked so many questions ranging from my past to my present to my future in rapid speed. Unfortunately, she eventually got to the difficult part.

"Any boys?" she asked so abruptly it caught me off guard. I had been in the middle of telling her about what life with Charlie was like, when she threw that one at me. I noticed my mind shifted towards Edward as she asked this, but I pushed it aside.

"Um, nope. No boys," I said, already feeling my face turn bright red.

"None at all?" she added. She appeared to have a slight glint in her eyes as she said this, but it disappeared as soon as I began shaking my head. "Okay!" she said cheerfully, picking up where she left off.

Not long after, Jessica excused herself, stating that she had to go study or else she'd "so totally fail!" She ran off as I waved her goodbye. Even though Jessica was a lot to take, I realized that I quite liked her.

The sun was beginning to set, lighting the campus in an orangey glow, and making me want to continue walking around for as long as possible. This thought was cut short, however, by the buzzing of my phone.

My heart seizing up with fear, I opened it gingerly. _"Bella! Where are you? -Alice"_

I sighed a huge breath of relief. _"Just went for a walk around campus."_

The reply was quick, and even the buzzing sounded angry. _"Oh Bella, what are we going to do with you?? Anyways, hurry back because Edward just called and said he's going to be over in a bit."_ Edward. I gulped. Today's conversation with Jessica had made me realize that the 'boys' category definitely had an 'Edward' under it. There was no point in trying to fool myself that I liked him only as a friend any longer. There never really _was_ that much of an argument for that side in the first place, but I tried. _Great,_ I thought. _Another thing to add to my list of problems. _

"_Be home soon." _I replied.

**Ooh, filler chapter, I'm sorry! But at least I got something done, right? Please review! I always love hearing what you think. Chapter title is You Don't Know Me by Ben Folds. **


	13. Fire It Up

**New chapter finally! This one's another of those all-nighter chapter dealies, so I apologize if there's mess-ups. (Seriously, I started this at like, two thirty am, and it is now six am). Butttt, I hope you like it, and as always, I love to receive reviews!!! Oh! And also, a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to you all! :-)**

**_Disclaimer: I wouldn't be on fanfiction if I owned Twilight. ;-)_**

Chapter 13

Making my way back to the dorm room, I realized that the light was retreating with sickening speed. I quickened my pace, only to have that spine tingling feeling return again. _They're watching, _I thought, moving even faster.

However, as soon as I sped up, I heard a low, rhythmic thud shortly behind me. _Oh God!_ I thought, as I dropped all pretences of looking normal, and began flat-out running.

Mercifully, I pushed open the doors to building four, and the sound of following steps melted into the night. _They were out there. They were waiting. _I couldn't wrap my head around it. Me, having a stalker; it just didn't make any sense!

When I finally brushed off the dazed, breathless feeling, I started the trek up to my room, continually shooting fleeting glances over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't being pursued again. I finally made it to my room, a safe haven, and flung myself through the doorway.

Once again, Alice's smile was wiped off her face at the sight of me, and was quickly followed by a, "Bella! What happened?!" This was getting to be ridiculous and not to mention completely unfair to Alice. It was one thing for someone to be harassing me, but a wholly other for Alice to have to be so concerned as well. Suddenly a fiery rage burst up inside me and I realized I hated this person, absolutely hated them! How dare they do this to me and my friends! This, of course, posed another question; who are they? And why are they doing this?

"Bella?" she asked timidly, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Oh," I said, trying my best to fake a smile. "It's nothing. Just a little bit of an upset stomach," I lied. It didn't appear as though she believed me, but she let it go anyways.

"Okayyy," she said, extending the 'y'. "Did you eat yet?" I could see her cheerfulness was a façade, but I hoped that eventually she would believe that nothing was the matter, so I could deal with this…_person_ on my own.

Alice walked off to order some Chinese just as the bell rang.

_Shit! That must be Edward!_ I had been so distracted, I had completely forgotten to be nervous about the inevitable conversation that was about to occur. I had a very strong urge to simply run away and hide in my bedroom until he left, but I knew it would be childish and impossible. (Knowing Alice, if I pulled a stunt like that, she would call over Emmett and have him physically drag me out, forcing me to talk to Edward).

I grumbled a bit at my mental image of Alice, before answering the door. Of course it was Edward.

"What's the matter?" he asked instantly, rushing inside.

"Mental Alice," I muttered, not realizing until after I said it that these words would make sense only to me.

He laughed. "Yes, Alice can be a bit mental at times, can't she?"

"I heard that!" she huffed from the kitchen, as Edward began hanging up his coat.

"So how was your day?" he asked, plopping down onto the sofa next to me.

I quickly suppressed the onslaught of bad memories from moments before, with a quick "Fine." I also added, "How was the game?" before he could overanalyse my 'fine' too much.

"Ah, it was good," he said, giving up his observation of my face, and looking away. "Missed you though," he said, glancing at me quickly, before looking away again. "Do you want to talk now?"

That knocked the smile right off my face. "Sure," I said, gulping.

He got up, and said "How about we go for a walk?" still not really looking at me.

"No! No more walks!" I replied too quickly.

"What's wrong with walks?" he asked, curiosity tingeing his tone.

Remembering I had promised him I wouldn't go on a walk today, I quickly improvised. "Oh…erm…sure! Let's walk!" _Brilliant Bella, really. _

He raised his eyebrows at me, but said nothing. "Alice! Bella and I are going out for a walk. We'll be back soon!" he called.

"Okay, just don't be too long! Food'll be ready in twenty minutes!" she replied.

He quietly closed the door behind us, and grasped my hand. _This is new,_ I thought, glancing down at our entwined fingers. He noticed the direction of my stare and said, "We need to talk."

_Uh oh, _I thought. _Those words generally don't mean anything good…but then why did he say it so gently? _"Okay," I replied, not really being able to say much more than that.

He stopped walking suddenly, and turned to face me. "Bella, I really like you," he mused. "There's just something about you that's so…Would you go out on a date with me?" He seemed to say this in one breath.

I felt my mouth pop open, and he quickly backtracked. "I mean, it was just a suggestion, but if you don't like the idea, I'd be more than happy to stay just friends because I value your company very much, and I'd hate for awkwardness to arise from this situation. I just thought I'd…" he glanced toward his shoes, looking dejected.

"Edward…it's not that," I said.

"No?" he asked, his head springing up quickly.

"No," I confirmed. "It's just-"

"Moving too fast? Because I can understand how you might think that, as I was a little concerned myself about it, so if you'd like to take it slower, that would be fine with me, just-"

"Edward," I said, shaking my head. "Of course I'll go out with you. You just surprised me is all."

"Really?" he asked, his eyes shining bright, and looking like a child who was just told they didn't have to eat their vegetables tonight.

I laughed. "Yes really."

He laughed too, although it was a sound more like relief than actual amusement. Suddenly he scooped me up, and was spinning me around.

"Arggg! Edward, put me down!" I cried in surprise.

"Sorry Bella!" he said releasing me, and not looking sorry in the slightest. "Oh," he said, his expression rapidly changing. "Phone." He fumbled around in his pockets until he found it. "Oh, just Alice." He sounded relieved, his cheerful mood returning. "She wants me to go pick up the food." He sighed. "And she demands your presence upstairs at once."

I sighed as well. "She wants details, doesn't she?"

He nodded his head gravely, saying " 'Fraid so."

I muttered a very unladylike word under my breath, which instantly made Edward drop his serious act, and burst out laughing. "I won't be long. Promise," he vowed, giving me a swift peck on the cheek, and disappearing before I even had the chance to respond.

I starting walking back to the room, before I began counting. _One Mississippi, two Mississippi, eyes! They're watching again. Strange,_ I thought. _The moment Edward disappears, the feeling comes back. It couldn't be him that's…No._ I quickly brushed that thought aside. This was _Edward_ I was talking about here. Why would _he_ be my stalker?

Rapidly, the feeling disintegrated, only to be replaced by the _buzz, buzz_ of my phone. I flipped it open, knowing who to expect this time. However, I was mistaken.

"_Heyy Bella how r u? - Mike" _Ugh, Mike. I still thought of his name with disdain, especially after his horrid party. Maybe Edward was onto something with the whole Mike thing. I mean, he had motives; I had rejected him rather harshly I suppose, which could make anyone upset. But these extremes, I just don't know.

Despite Edward's assumption about Mike being my harasser, I replied anyways. _"Hi Mike."_

I flipped my phone shut and thought about the situation some more. As much as I didn't want to admit it, Edward _was_ a possible suspect, even though my heart was telling me it wasn't him. He was just as much a candidate as Mike, really, which was a terrifying thought. However, mentally I just kept denying it.

_Buzz, buzz. _Expecting a reply from Mike, I mindlessly flipped my phone open.

"_hey bitch. did u miss me?"_

I was getting really sick of this nonsense. _"Who are you, and why are you doing this?"_ Yes, it was the cliché thing to ask, but it's always best to get straight to the point.

Instantaneously, there was another reply. _"oh, u'll find out soon enough deary. in fact, i'm sure u'll be getting to know me very soon"_

Ugh, this was all so stupid. _"You know, it's pretty pathetic that you have to hide behind a phone to make your stupid little threats." _I knew I shouldn't be provoking this person, but I couldn't help it. They made me _mad_.

The reply was again quick and full of spite. _"ya, we'll see who's the pathetic one bitch" _

I closed my phone, and all the fire in me dissolved, leaving me with nothing but fear. _They were going to do something…and something soon. _

**Alright, so as a side note, I apologize for how quickly Edward and Bella's relationship is progressing. I honestly had no intention of writing it that way, and anyone who knows me personally would know that I hate Romeo and Juliet because of how quickly they end up together. Nonetheless, I think the reason I wrote it this way is simply because it feels like much longer than it actually is to me. I apologize if this is frustrating to you, but please bear with me! But anyhoo, ending mega-rant now! I hope you liked this chapter, and please remember to review! Chapter title is Fire It Up by Thousand Foot Krutch. **


	14. I Want You To

**A/N: Hello! Why is it that all my chapters always end at some unreasonable time of night? I'm starting to think I should only write at night because that appears to be the only time I'm inspired! Anyways, I hope you like this chapter, which I'm sure you all will! ;-) Review pleaseeee! *Makes puppy eyes***

**Oh, and also, you can thank AliceKnowsAll for the fluffy bits since I wanted to add some of her favourite pairing before the story ends! :-)**

_**Disclaimer: If I haven't owned Twilight for the first thirteen chapters, what makes you think I own it now?**_

Chapter 14

I began walking back to the room, attempting to compose myself before I had to see Alice again. My mind was made up: she wasn't going to see me distraught over this maniac anymore. However, just before I reached the door, I felt a pair of hands grab at my waist.

"Arg!" I screamed, randomly flailing and attempting to grab any possible piece of my attacker that I could.

"Bella, you look silly when you swing your arms like that," said an all-too familiar voice.

"Emmett!" I hissed through gritted teeth. "Put. Me. Down!" Finally, he released me, and I gave him a hard wallop to the gut. "Don't _ever _do that again! Do you _want_ me to have a heart attack Emmett?! I'm too young to die."

"Why so jumpy Bells?" he joked. It took a moment, but suddenly he realized why I, of all people, might be jumpy. "Stalker still bugging you?" he asked darkly.

"Um…nope. They stopped actually," I lied in one quick breath. "Ha, ha. I'm just a jumpy person by nature I guess. Say, what are you doing in the hallway anyways?" _Wow! Would you look at those distraction skills!_

"Alice said there'd be food," he responded seriously.

I punched him again, only this time lacking the intention to actually cause him harm (not that I would have if I had been trying anyways). "Well come on in then," I said, rolling my eyes and gesturing dramatically to the doorway. "Next time, how about you knock rather than sneaking up behind me, 'kay?"

Emmett huffed loudly. "I wasn't sneaking!" he said, entering the room. "I _saw you there,_ and _then_ I snuck up behind you. I didn't mean to do it! It just sort of happened."

"Okay Emmett, I forgive you," I laughed, smiling at his childlike antics.

He revealed a massive grin, and was about to grab me again when the door opened. "Food's here!" Edward called, walking into the room.

Alice swept into the area with a soft huff. "Bella, what part of _pronto_ didn't you understand?"

"Don't blame me!" I raised my hands in a surrendering gesture. "Blame your brother! He was the one that assaulted me in the hallway."

"It wasn't an _assault…_" he explained, trailing after Alice (and the food) into the kitchen.

"Hey," said Edward, moving with incredible speed to where I was standing. "So I realized something this evening."

"Yes?" I asked, thrown off a bit by the very little distance we had put between us.

"Well, I realized we hadn't even planned out our date yet," he said, peering down at me.

"Oh-"

"Nuh uh! Not without me you don't!" Alice said, bustling into the living room with plates and food.

"That girl hears everything!" I muttered.

"I heard that!" she called while she was off dragging in a fold-up table.

"Now what's all this I hear about a date?" asked Emmett, ever the big-brother figure.

"Bella and I are going out on a date," Edward said, sticking out his chin defiantly.

"It's about damn time!" cried Emmett. "When are you going?"

"That's what I was _trying_ to figure out before Alice so rudely interrupted," he responded, grabbing some food before Emmett did. "Here you go," he added, sliding me a plate.

"Oh, thanks!" I replied, surprised.

"Okay," said Alice, taking her seat with grandeur and daintily biting her food. "Date. Tomorrow."

I dropped the piece I had been eating. "Tomorrow?"

"Yes tomorrow Bella," she responded, giving me her best reproachful, mothering look. "It's about time. I mean, Jasper and I have already gone on several."

"You have?! Why didn't you tell me!" I asked, shocked she'd keep something like that from me.

"Well you were so busy with…you know, so busy, that I figured you wouldn't want to be bothered," she answered guiltily.

I sighed. "Oh dear, little Alice, of course I'd want to know! You're my best friend you know!"

"Am I? Am I really?" she asked happily.

"Well like, duh!" said Emmett with his mouth full of food.

She squealed with delight while clapping her hands together. "Yay!"

"Just because you're my best friend doesn't mean you get to get out of telling me the whole shebang about you and Jasper." I said after finishing my food.

"Oh, well," she said getting that same dreamy smile on her face that I was beginning to associate as being her 'Jasper smile'. "After the…incident," she gave me a significant glance. "Jasper offered to let me spend my spare time at his place, for, you know, safety reasons. Of course I was going to go because I was really scared, not to mention the fact that he's totally gorg-"

"LA LA LA LA LA!" called Emmett, clamping his hands over his ears.

"Well it's true!" she huffed, annoyed that she'd been broken out of her revere. "Anyways, so I started hanging out at Jasper's. He was all awkward and shy and sweet to me, and it was just," she sighed. "Fantastic. We sort of started dating without actually saying anything to each other, but of course, being the gentleman he is, he insisted upon it. So he took me out to dinner and asked me to be his girlfriend, and yeah! I'm happy!" She beamed at me.

"Hmm…Jasper, eh?" asked Emmett to his little sister. "I'm going to have to have a talk with him."

Alice rolled her eyes at me. "Try not to scare the poor boy like you did to the last one."

"Ha! Oh yeah! I forgot about him!" Emmett said, bursting out into laughter at the memory. "What was his name again?"

"Tyler Crowley." she said, clearly embarrassed, as she cleared the plates.

"What'd he do?" I asked Edward, although it was Emmett who answered.

"First time meeting him, and he kept going on about how hot he thought my sister was," he said with a slight glint of steel to his tone. "So I asked him how he'd like it if he had no teeth. That shut him up pretty quick." Emmett laughed again. "Oh well. That kid was a wuss. Not to mention a creep."

"Agreed," affirmed Alice, re-entering the room. "Never ever, ever will I be forced into a blind date ever again. But enough about him. What about you and Rose, brother dearest?"

"How'd you know about that?" asked Emmett, baffled.

Edward laughed at him. "How could anyone have _not_ known about that?" he asked.

"Shuddup!" he said, punching him briefly in the arm.

I saw Edward turn and mutter "Ow!" to himself, shaking out his injured arm.

"Welllll," Emmett responded to Alice's previous question. "I haven't really seen her since, but I'd like to, ya know, get to see her sometime soon."

Alice laughed. "Emmett, I'm sure you've seen plenty of her. She lives just across the hall from here!" she teased.

"Yeah, but I mean like, talking to her," he explained.

"Aw, Emmett's a shy guy!" Edward exclaimed jokingly.

"Do you want me to punch you again?" Emmett asked, lifting his fist in Edward's direction. That shut him up pretty fast and I had to stifle my laughter.

Just then, there was a delicate knock at the door. "Come in!" Alice called, leaning her head on the back of the sofa.

Rosalie walked in, looking stunning as ever. "Hey guys! Oh Emmett, good, you're here!" she said happily. "I was just wondering if you wanted to go grab some coffee with me?" she asked.

Emmett's mouth popped open. "Uh…erm…yeah! I mean, that'd be great!" he responded a bit too eagerly. Instantly he got up and walked over to her.

"Awesome!" she gave him a dazzling smile. "Bye guys!" she called.

Emmett glanced once more at us with an amazed expression while Edward waggled his eyebrows at him. "_Shut up!" _Emmett mouthed, moments before the door closed on his and Rosalie's retreating figures.

"He doesn't even _like_ coffee!" Edward said incredulously.

"It's true," Alice added. "I tried to get him to buy me a coffee once, and he wouldn't even go inside. He claimed he was'allergic to coffee smell'."

I laughed. "Oh Emmett!"

"Well, I'm going to bed now!" Alice said abruptly, still sounding her usual hyper self despite the fact she declared her tiredness. "Don't stay up too late you two! You don't want to be tired for your _da-te!_" She danced out of the room along with her sing-song voice, leaving us in silence.

Edward smiled at me guiltily. "I suppose I should go home as well."

"That's okay," I said, pouting just the slightest.

He laughed at me and got up, pulling me up with him. "Goodnight Bella," he murmured, closer than expected to my face.

"Good-" I began, but before I could finish his lips were pressed against mine in a seemingly too short kiss. "Night." I added, when he finally detached himself.

"Goodnight Bella," he repeated, smiling and exiting without another word.

I stood there for a moment before shakily making my way to my room. _Edward had kissed me,_ my brain kept informing me repeatedly as I got ready to go to sleep.

Unfortunately, when I finally did get to bed, my brain was _still_ on repeat, constantly analysing every second of the moment. Every time I closed my eyes, the scene kept replaying in my head. "Damn it Edward!" I whispered to the night as I continually tossed and turned in my bed. He had picked a very bad night to choose to kiss me.

Anxiously, I started thinking about the massive bags I would have under my eyes as the hours on the clock ticked by. _1 o'clock… 2 o'clock …2:45... 3 o'clock …3:25._ Around 4:30 in the morning, I became so exhausted that my brain finally gave up the battle. After all those gruelling hours, I fell into a deep sleep.

And that's why I didn't hear them come in.

**A/N: DUN DUN DUNNNN! Only a few more chapters to go! Chapter title is (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To by Weezer [Fanfiction wouldn't let me put the whole title! *shakes fist*]**


	15. Love Me Dead

**A/N: Hello! So first of all I have to say SORRY, SORRY, SORRY!!! I definitely hadn't meant to wait so long to update, so I hope you all can forgive me. I would continue apologizing, but I suppose you'd like to get on with THE FINAL CHAPTER! Dum dum dummm! (I'll say all my thank you's at the end dears!)**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. :-]**_

**Oh, and also, I apologize in advance for all the swearing!**

Chapter 15

_Blackness…dark. So dark._ Slowly, the groggy disorientation wore off. Slowly. By far not quick enough. Everything felt…_wrong_. The sounds were strange, foreign. _Drip, drip, drip_ from about a foot away. Much too close to be home. But then…where was I?

Finally being able to open my heavily lidded eyes, I realized I was blindfolded. Blindfolded and bound. Thrashing slightly, I attempted to free myself, but to no avail. Whoever had tied me had no intentions of letting me free.

"Hello?" I called, feeling the echo reverberate against the walls. _Cold. I'm so cold. _I thought, shivering slightly at the absurd chill.

"Bella, Bella, Bella," a voice chastised from some shadowy corner of the room. There was a movement, and the voice continually came closer and closer. "Did you really think you could get away with this and not have to _pay_?" they said, giving me a sharp kick in the leg for emphasis.

Wincing with pain, I attempted to the place the voice. It was _so_ familiar, and yet…nothing. It was as if there was a heavy haze of fog upon my brain. _You know that voice!_ Another sharp kick came down, this time a firm blow to the gut, momentarily knocking all the breath out of my system.

"Why are you doing this?" I gasped, now on the verge of tears. "What did I do?"

"What did you do? What did you _do_? _You want to know what you fucking did_?!" the voice asked becoming more and more hysterical. Suddenly, the blindfold was tore off, and I had to blink a few times before my vision was properly returned.

"Jessica?" I asked, astonished.

"_Jessica?"_ the voice mocked. "Of course it was me you stupid bitch!" Her face contorted into something absolutely sinister and I had to do everything in my power to stop myself from flinching away from it.

"But…but why?" I asked, blinking stupidly at the remaining tears.

She laughed a high, maniacal laugh, throwing her head back and clutching at her stomach while she did so. "Oh, you _fool!_" she spat at me. "Because you took what wasn't fucking yours!"

I continued to blink, still not comprehending. "_Edward! _Edward you bitch! He was _mine_ and you _took_ _him from me_! DAMN IT!" she screeched. I was eerily reminded of a creature right before they went in for the kill; her eyes were dancing with madness, and her teeth were like tiny blades, ready to destroy whatever (or whoever) got in their way. I shivered again.

"Him and I were going to be _together_," she said in a suddenly dead calm voice, circling me slowly yet never once taking her all too bright eyes off of my face. "But then you had to _come_ and _ruin everything!_" she cried, pummelling me with each word.

She crumpled into a heap on the floor. "That date…that date was _heaven_," she sighed. Finally, I understood. The mysterious girl who was always pestering Edward, the one Emmett had called Edward's "lover" - it had been Jessica all along. I felt my eyes widen as the realization finally dawned on me. _Jessica_ was the one who had been bothering me. _Jessica_ who had left the sinister messages on my wall. _Jessica_ who had me locked up in her room _right now_…with no one the wiser.

Suddenly, her head snapped upwards, probably realizing the same thing I just had. The crazed look returned to her eye as she whispered "But now you're going to pay."

Slowly, she sauntered toward me, moving cat-like across the room. Dragging on the floor beside her was a small hammer. She noticed my eyes shift to the instrument uncomfortably. "Oh this?" she asked sweetly, stopping directly in front of me. "This is just in case my hands can't do what I want them to." She flashed me a smile which could almost be described as beautiful if it weren't for the fact that it had a subtle demented look about it. Then she began punching me repeatedly, grabbing at any bit she could.

I felt nails drag across my cheek as I glumly realized I was going to die. I was going to die, strapped to a chair and completely defenceless, in the house of some psychotic woman who I had thought was my friend.

I closed my eyes tightly, hoping that I could simply will it all away. I didn't want to open them again, because if I did, I would see the startling face of my captor. The one who I thought I could trust.

Slowly, she reached towards my neck holding a thick rope against it with her clammy, sweaty hands. "You ruined my life, bitch. Now I end yours." I heard being hissed into my ear. This couldn't be happening.

Oh, but it was. Slowly, I was dying. I could feel all the air leaving my lungs. Then, everything went black.

**Alice's POV**

Twisting and turning in my sheets, my eyes popped open glancing frantically from side to side. Something was wrong. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut hoping to remember what exactly had happened. _Bella,_ the voice in my head whispered.

Yes, Bella! Suddenly, the dream I had just woken up from re-played in my mind.

_I was running. Running faster than I had ever done before, room numbers whizzing past me as I moved. _Bella, where are you? _Finally, I stopped in front of room 227. I reached my hands out in front of me, but eerily the door swung open before they touched. There, in the centre of the shadowy room was Bella, tied to a chair with her mouth taped shut. She gazed at me helplessly, her eyes silently spilling tears of blood. _"Bella!" _I called to her. I went to move forward when a ghostly laugh filled the room, stopping me in my tracks. _

My eyes opened again. It had been a dream…just a dream. And yet…the voice in my head continued to nag at me telling me that something had gone horribly wrong. _I'll just take a quick peek into her room and make sure she's okay,_ I thought, slipping out of my covers as my feet touched the floor.

Gently plodding across the tile, I slowly opened her door. _Empty._ The sickly sensation in my stomach doubled as I wondered where on earth she could be. _Room 227,_ my voice responded, but I quickly brushed it away. It was just a dream right? It couldn't be real? …Could it?

Moving quickly towards the coffee table, I reached for my cell phone, dialling the one other place where Bella might be.

"Hello?" the voice asked, surprisingly alert despite the hour.

"Edward, it's me, Alice. Is Bella there?" I asked tersely, deep down already knowing the answer but still not wanting to admit it.

"Why would Bella be here Alice?" he responded instantly tense.

"She's not in her bed." I waited while his end of the phone made a dull _thud_ as it bumped against the floor.

"Jessica," he responded after regaining his composure, his voice full of steel.

"What makes you say that?"

"Right before you called, I got a text from her saying _'I have her'_. At the time, it made no sense, but now…" He trailed off nervously. "We have to find her."

"227," I said, finally accepting that my dream _wasn't _justa dream The laughter had unmistakeably belonged to a girl.

"Pardon?" he asked, half questioning my sanity.

"227, that's where she is!" I said impatiently. "Look Edward, I have to go…I have to help. Call the cops for me. I'll meet up with you later."

"Wait! Alice, don't- _Shit!_" he muttered into a dead phone.

Running down the hallway, I glanced left and right, frantically looking for room 227. Slivers of dawn could be seen creeping through the windows in what would have been an attractive manner under different circumstances. _I hope it's not too late_, whispered that same voice from the back of my head. _It's not too late!_ I thought, pushing myself to run even faster than before. After what felt like ages (although realistically was only minutes) I reached the dreaded door I had been searching for.

Pausing for only the slightest of moments, I pushed it open, briefly concerned with what might be lurking inside. Standing in the doorway, I gave my eyes a moment to adjust to the oddly darkened room. Sitting in the centre, just as I knew she would be, was Bella. The only exception to my dream was that rather than crying blood, her eyes were tightly closed and she was dead still. "Bella!" I cried, rushing toward her.

A cold laugh stopped me dead in my tracks before I was knocked to the ground. Glaring upwards, I caught sight of her. _Jessica. _

"Oh goody! Another's come to join the party. Too bad Bella won't be with us much longer," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice that oozed self-satisfaction.

I slowly rose to my feet, blood boiling. I would _not_ let this prissy little brat be the end of Bella. "You messed with the wrong girl's best friend," I said coldly, swiftly tackling her to the ground. She was so surprised by my quick advance I was able to get a few good punches in before she became aware of what was happening.

She touched her hand to her lip which was now bleeding. "You bitch!" she screamed, trying to grab at my hair.

I quickly pulled at the back of her head and held it closely to the floor. "Didn't your mother ever tell you? Don't. Fight. Dirty," I hissed, hitting her face against the floor with each word. I let go disgustedly and ran over to where Bella sitting, still as ever.

"Oh no!" I whispered, untying her limp body.

From across the room Jessica let out a cackling laugh. "She's done for. I chocked the air out of that meddling bitch; she's as good as gone."

Ignoring her, I started to calculate. How long had I been here for? Glancing at my watch I realized it had only been about two minutes, although it felt like years in comparison. How long can the human brain last without oxygen?

Without taking the time to answer that question, I began frantically pumping air into Bella's silent form. "Please Bella," I begged, still forcing air into her system. "Please."

Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, like tiny butterflies stretching their wings for the first time. "Alice?" she asked confusedly before I engulfed her in my arms, sobbing with relief.

"FUCK!" Jessica screeched, dragging herself off the floor. "You fucking BITCH!" Protectively, I positioned myself around Bella's still weak form.

"DIE!" she cried, lunging at me, before the door burst open to reveal several officers with Edward in tow. Within seconds we were surrounded, guns pointed directly at Jessica, leaving her frozen in place.

"Ma'am, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law," one of the officers said while handcuffing her.

"But…NO!" she screamed as she was dragged out of her own apartment. "Edward! Tell them to let me go! Tell them…" She was silenced by his hardened gaze. "NOOOO!"

"Bella are you okay?" Edward asked, rushing to her side the moment Jessica was out of sight. She nodded weakly, affirming she was still conscious at the very least. "Alice?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," I replied, gently brushing the blood off my cheek. Whether it was my blood or hers, I didn't know.

He swept me into a tight hug. "Thank you Alice…for everything," he whispered, pulling away.

I looked at him seriously. "I was _not_ going to let my best friend die." He nodded briefly, understanding exactly what I meant before refocusing his attention on Bella, gently prodding at her to make sure nothing was seriously harmed. It appeared as if she was all right, other than the almost dying part.

_Yes, _I thought. _It seemed as though everything was finally going to be all right._

**WELL? What did you all think?! Heehee, I'm quite excited because this is my first completed fanfiction! But anyhow, before I wrap it up I believe some thanks are in order. First, to my real-life Alice, AliceKnowsAll, who has read every single chapter and been there since the very beginning. If you want some excellent Twilight fanfiction I highly recommend checking her out. Next, Smash_King24. He has read and reviewed despite the fact that he has never read Twilight before. If you're a gamer, go read his stories! Lastly, to every single one of you who has read, reviewed, faved, etc. thank you sooo much! You're all amazing. Thank you. **

**Finally, chapter title is Love Me Dead by Ludo. **

**Please review! :-]**


End file.
